


Two Souls [on hiatus summer '21]

by QueenOh



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, Bottom Byun Baekhyun, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Horse Racing, Humor, M/M, Mentions of guns and blood, Running Away, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Top Park Chanyeol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:00:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 77,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25269502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenOh/pseuds/QueenOh
Summary: Baekhyun is special, even though he does not want to be.Why? Because he shares his body with his brother Beom, who is locked up inside his mind and possesses supernatural abilities...Baekhyun decides to run away from his life as a special agent in Seoul, craving to live a "normal" life and make his own choices and experiences.That's how he ends up on Jeju Island, finding shelter within a horse farm.Like this, Baekhyun encounters Chanyeol - a man who is so very different and somehow doesn't want to befriend the lovable Baekhyun.Getting used to his "new" life, but the past threatening to catch up with him, Baekhyun learns about the bond of family, experiences the meaning of friendship and loss, but most importantly, he encounters love where he didn't expect to find it...
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 19
Kudos: 38





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> I got inspired to write this fanfic due to a videogame called BEYOND: TWO SOULS.  
> For those who never heard of it before, go check it out, it's really good.
> 
> This fanfiction will be a long one, so I'll try to upload every week, but I'm not promising on doing so.
> 
> Also, there will be many characters - not just from EXO - and also some side couples (plus mentions of past relationships).  
> But in the end, for this story, CHANBAEK is all that matters.  
> I love them with all my heart.
> 
> Please enjoy reading the first chapter and check out my instagram accounts where I'll post some visual footage for the story from time to time.

He had been walking over the island for several hours now. He lost track of time as soon as he got away from the port and to the main part of population, which was  Jeju-si , the capital and northern area on  Jeju Island. He was exhausted, thirsty and sweaty. The humidity and warmth of the day, the hours of going by foot without any rest, took their cost. 

Baekhyun was tired and he wanted nothing more than to sleep. He didn’t care whether he would sleep outside on a field or in a comfy bed, all he wanted now was to finally stop walking. But he could not. Every time he was settling for a rest, the voice in his head, the voice that was always there with him, would tell him to get his ass back on the road and continue. 

“I really hate you for making me walk that much. I can already feel the blebs on my feet”, he whined loudly, not caring if anyone would hear, he was in the middle of nowhere after all. 

_ “You were the one who decided to run away in the first place, so stop whining like a little kid” _ , Beom replied nonchalantly, his reverberant voice sharp in his head. 

Baekhyun sighed and kicked away a stone, frustrated and knowing that the other was right. 

“You should understand why I did that. I needed a break, I needed to get us out of there…” Baekhyun said, his voice merely a whisper now. 

_ “I know. And even though I wasn’t fond of it at first, I get it now. I’m proud of you. For once in your life you decided to take measures into your own hands without thinking of others. You did well,  _ _ Baekhyunnie _ _ ” _ , Beom chirped in his head. 

Baekhyun smiled happily, it was not often that the other praised him like that. He did not know if Beom was truly proud of him or if he was just telling him what Baekhyun would like to hear, but for now, it was all what the latter needed in order to continue walking.

“We haven’t talked about this since, I’m glad you finally decided to sort it out with me”, Baekhyun said, holding onto the straps of his backpack, the only thing he took along with him. 

_ “What was there to talk about? You did not plan any of this, you acted impulsively. It was your decision and I had to get along with it” _ , was all that Beom said. 

He was still angry, of course he was. Beom was even more stubborn than Baekhyun himself. Beom had liked working for the agency, he had been very good at it. Both of them knew that the place was never made for someone as sensitive and kind as Baekhyun though, but it wasn’t like they’ve had any choice. 

Ever since the government took a hold of them, their lives, or Baekhyun’s life for that matter, had been planned out for them, with no real saying in it. How could it have been any different though? Being an orphan, with no family around, no one was there to speak up for them. After it all went down with several foster families – Beom’s behavior being the main reason for it – Baekhyun got taken under the agency’s custody and until now, he never got away from it.

“On a scale from 0 to 10, how long will it take for you to forgive me?” Baekhyun asked after some minutes of silence. His brows were furrowed, his full but dry lips forming a pout. 

It took a moment until Beom answered him, his voice warm and soft now:  _ “I always forgive you, no matter what. You know I care about you, only you,  _ _ Baekhyunnie _ _. I know how hard it was for you.” _

__ Baekhyun felt a warmth inside of his body, not an unpleasant one, a soothing one. He knew that it was Beom’s doing and he was happy about it. 

“I’m sorry for saying that I hate you earlier. I didn’t mean it”, Baekhyun said. 

_ “I know” _ , Beom replied with easiness and then turned silent again, leaving Baekhyun to his thoughts.

The sun was slowly but surely setting, a soft breeze coming up every now and then, and Baekhyun was quite thankful for it. He didn’t like  sweating, he didn’t like when his fluffy blonde hair stuck to his neck or when his clothes were wet and clutching onto his skin. But he continued walking, trusting his invisible companion. Beom always knew where to go and most of the time Baekhyun was glad for his lead. 

He came along a guidepost, looking at it curiously. “Where to go? If I turn left, we might get closer to the south, closer to  Seogwipo ”, he asked, even though he was almost sure that Beom did not want to. 

_ “No, turn right. The town wouldn’t be a good idea. You’re trying to stay off the radar, aren’t you? It was already hard enough to get you all the way from Seoul and onto this island. You might have forgotten about it, but I had to take down several security cameras and 2 guards when you went on that fairy” _ , Beom stated and Baekhyun sighed in remembrance, the headaches and nosebleeds it caused him were still present in his mind. So, he did as the other told him, turning right.

He walked in silence yet again, his thoughts wandering to what he left behind and some of his worries coming up to the surface. 

_ “You handed in your application for leave and not for resignation. Why is that? Are you planning on going back?” _ Beom asked him after listening to his thoughts, like he always did when it was in his interest. 

Baekhyun shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I wanted to keep the option of coming back and not anger them too much…” 

_ “ _ _ Tzz _ _ , don’t be naïve, Baekhyun. You knew they’d be angry and search for you, no matter what letter or application you’d leave behind. So, tell me, why no resignation or no letter at all, why leave them with something to hold onto?” _ Beom insisted with his questioning. 

“I… I don’t know…” Baekhyun stammered, but Beom wouldn’t have any of it, going through the thoughts that Baekhyun tried to hide from him. But as always, Beom figured it out anyways. 

_ “Oh Baekhyun… please. Please tell me that this was not the reason” _ , Beom groaned and Baekhyun blushed in anger and embarrassment, deciding not to answer. The other would always hear his thoughts if he really wanted to, so there was not a reason to waste any words. 

Beom continued to talk at him, but Baekhyun just shut him out. He did not need to explain it and he did not need Beom’s blessing. The other rarely wanted to understand him anyways…

After another mile of walking around in  Jeju’s no man’s land, Baekhyun came past a paddock, seeing two more in the distance, right next to the country road. There were several horses grazing, not lifting their gaze as Baekhyun walked closer to the fence to take a look at them. There was a wooden canopy, serving as a mount for food and protection of the weather, a single grey horse standing right next to it. 

Baekhyun noticed that this one was secluded from the others, wondering about the reason when the horse turned and looked at him. It seemed shy and calculating at first, but as Baekhyun reached out over the fence, shortly whistling through his teeth, the horse started walking towards him. His big brown eyes met Baekhyun’s smaller ones and he carefully stroked over its blaze as soon as it was close enough. 

“There you go,  chongma . You’re beautiful, you know that? Why are you all alone here, hm? Have you done something bad or are the other’s just envious of your grey fur?” He asked the horse in a talkative manner, continuously stroking close to his head. 

The horse snorted shortly, as if answering the young man’s question. “I thought so”, Baekhyun chuckled and stepped back again. “I’d love to chat with you, chongma, but I’m very tired now and should find myself a place to stay the night. Do you think your owners could provide me a roof over my head, hm?” He asked, the horse just staring at him. “I see what I can do. Annyeong haseyo, chongma”, he said his goodbyes and got back on the road, heading towards the expected farm house where the horses might belong to.

_ “Seems like it was too warm for you today… speaking to horses as if they’re real people is quite strange, you know?” _ Beom teased him. 

“I’m also talking to you and nobody but me can hear you. I’d say I’m used to behaving strangely”, Baekhyun argued. 

_ “True” _ , Beom replied and remained silent for the next minutes until he reached a barn. 

_ “Why aren’t you going inside? This would be the perfect place to sleep”, _ Beom asked him when he intended to walk past it. 

“I can’t just break and enter. What if they find me? Not happening. I’ll go and ask politely, like every normal person would do”, Baekhyun insisted. 

_ “A normal person would stay at one of the fancy hotels, Baekhyun. No one wanders around clueless here. People on this island are either tourists or islanders; it’s not the typical place for extraordinary strangers on the run” _ , Beom reminded him. 

Baekhyun got impatient at that, Beom was driving him angry again. “Why can’t you just let me do it my way? You know I hate breaking rules, you know I still believe in the good of people. So why can’t you just let me try being a well-mannered person, simply asking for a place to stay the night?” He asked and clenched his fists. 

_ “Alright… okay, do as you please, Baekhyun. But don’t come to me crying when they send you back on the road” _ , Beom replied with a huff. 

“I won’t. Trust me for once”, Baekhyun just said, not wanting to argue further. 

_ “I always trust  _ _ you, _ _ I just don’t trust other people or your judgment about them” _ , the other explained and Baekhyun continued walking, soon spotting the horse farm in the distance.

There were more paddocks surrounding the main house and three buildings that looked like stables. At the end of the left paddock were two more barns, one of it with an open front and agricultural vehicles inside of it. The main house itself was built of red bricks, the roof was flat and a staircase lead up to it. It was not a big house, probably too small to accommodate more than five people, but it looked comfy and was in good shape. 

There were some riding utensils, supply bags, tools and other typical farm stuff scattered around the buildings, but it looked quite neat and well kempt in general. Three cars were parked next to the brick house and two little dogs were dozing right next to them, seemingly not disturbed by Baekhyun’s presence. Baekhyun smiled to himself, the farm was to his liking somehow. 

_ “You like it? Don’t get accustomed, I doubt that you’ll be able to see more than a glimpse of it once they set you back on the road…” _ Beom said, taunting him. 

Baekhyun ignored him, not hesitating to walk up the driveway, aiming for the bell at the door.

A hint of nervousness crept up inside him and he took a few steps back from the door, trying to fix his damp hair and the wrinkled clothing. He did not want to appear too much like a tramp after all. He knew that this was probably a weird situation, one thing Beom had been right about – it was not every day that some stranger appeared in front of one’s door, asking for a roof to sleep under. If someone back in Seoul would have done this in front of his flat,  he would have called the police, most likely. 

But Baekhyun was hoping that these islanders would be different. More open-minded and giving, and by far more trusting than Beom expected them to be. He stood there waiting, hoping for a kind person who would have a bit of pity or sympathy left for him. Maybe a kind old lady who was happy to welcome strangers from time to time? Or a little farmer boy who was curious and wanted someone to play football with – not that he had any idea how to play that game, but still.

Instead he was greeted by someone oh so very different and he felt all his hopes  going down the river. 

The man who opened the door was tall, unpleasantly tall even. His muscular figure filled in the entire doorframe and his dark hair fell messily over his forehead, marked by a long day’s work out in the open. The hair was not long enough to cover his furrowed brows or his large ears though and Baekhyun would have laughed about the Yoda-like ears if it was not for the annoyed, unfriendly scowl on the young man’s face. He was almost terrifying and Baekhyun suppressed the urge to stumble backwards and away from the man, who was around a head taller than him. 

One thing was for sure, this man did not exactly fit the idyllic horse farm atmosphere around them, and not exactly was truly an understatement. Neither Baekhyun or the man had spoken a word ever since they set eyes on each other and Baekhyun was getting more and more uncomfortable under the man’s stare.

“Good evening, I’m sorry for barging in like that. I’m looking for a place to stay the night and I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Baekhyun started, but the man interrupted him. 

“You can’t stay here. Sorry”, he said with a deep voice, his face unrelenting. 

_ “Told you…” _ Beom triumphed inside of his head, but Baekhyun chose to ignore it. 

The guy was already stepping back in order to close the door, but Baekhyun hurried forward, standing on the small porch now. “Can’t I stay for one night? I’ll just take the barn… Please? I mean, I promise, tomorrow morning I’ll be gone”, Baekhyun tried again. 

The guy’s frown deepened, his muscular chest heaving under the worn-out shirt. 

“Like I said, that is not possible. You should walk off”, he insisted. 

Before Baekhyun could say anything or do as the guy was telling him to, a small woman with strains of grey hair appeared behind the guy, looking at Baekhyun with curiousness. She walked past the giant and onto the porch, her eyes fixed on Baekhyun. She wore less casual clothing, a garment that looked almost traditional and not as fit for work as the guy’s attire.

The woman’s gaze on him was friendlier, but Baekhyun wondered whether she was cross-eyed because it seemed like she was looking past him, observing... She turned to the guy then, addressing him in  Jeju , which greatly differed from the Korean dialects Baekhyun was used to. He understood almost nothing, especially not after the guy replied in  Jeju as well, only with more fervor and tempo. 

From what he could decipher, the woman was asking about Baekhyun’s intention and why the guy was about to refuse him in such an impolite way. The guy tried to argue, but the woman only put on a strict gaze and he backed off, stomping back inside. The way they had interacted with each other left Baekhyun almost sure that he had been witnessing an argument between a grown-up son and his mother. 

She turned to face him again, speaking with soft voice and in standard Korean. 

“It’s okay, you may sleep here, in the house. Come inside please.” Baekhyun smiled happily and bowed, mumbling a thank you as he followed her.

It was a cozy lighting  inside, the rest of sunlight was shining through the opened windows and a few lamps illuminated the long corridor which lead to a kitchen with a dining room attached to it. 

There was another young man, he was smaller than the one before, his expression more friendly as he set down a plate for their surprise guest. The grumpy guy came in from another room, supposedly the living room, guiding an old lady in her wheelchair and placing her at the table, her eyes looking past everything. 

“I’m Park  Youngmi and these are my sons. The older one, whom you met already, is  Chanyeol . The younger is  Jongdae , and that is my mother Kim Minjee. Don’t expect her to answer you, she’s suffering from dementia, she hasn’t talked in a while. The table’s set, would you like to eat with us …?” She asked after introducing her family, looking at Baekhyun expectantly. 

“Baekhyun, I’m Byun Baekhyun. And yes, yes thank you”, he answered and bowed a few times before he walked over to take the offered chair next to her, opposite to  Chanyeol . 

The latter did not even spare him a glance while his brother  Jongdae was smiling shyly. 

“It’s rare to see hitchhikers out here. So close to the Hallasan it’s mostly the usual type of backpackers while the other tourists are spending their time at the beach. So, where is it that you’re going?” Mrs. Park asked him while  Jongdae was serving self-made  Dakjuk .

“Nowhere in particular. I’ve been travelling around day to day. I believe, once I’ve travelled long enough, that I might find my destination. For now, I’m on  Jeju , I was always curious what it would be like”, Baekhyun answered with his light, melodic voice, the uncertainties of his future hanging in the air around him. 

Mrs. Park looked at him again, a little smile on her lips. “I see”, she said and continued eating. 

Her sons remained silent, both eagerly eating the food, all hungry and seemingly exhausted from their day, just like Baekhyun. Silence was impending to settle, so Baekhyun tried picking up the conversation. 

“That’s the first horse farm in the area, for miles…” He said and Mrs. Park nodded. 

“Yes, there were more of us. But most of them gave it up and moved closer to the town. With all the tourism there, it’s easier to make money. Life, away from the flourishing island parts, is not that easy, but I couldn’t imagine being away from here”, Mrs. Park explained. 

Baekhyun nodded in understanding and continued to eat dinner. When he was done, he remained seated, carefully watching the Park-sons eating yet another portion before he looked around in the dining room. 

There were some scroll paintings covering the brick walls, colorful scraps of fabric decorating the doorframes and little dol hareubang statues placed right next to them. Baekhyun knew that they were considered to be gods, offering both protection and fertility, carved from volcanic rock which could be found all over the island. He looked at Mrs. Park again, more precisely eyeing the patterns and colors of her clothing.

“May I ask if you believe in shamanism?” Baekhyun asked. 

“You may, and yes, I do. My mother was a mudang, my sons though, they don’t believe in it like I do”, she answered. 

“But we respect it. You better respect it at as well…”  Chanyeol mumbled with a glare into Baekhyun’s direction which he reciprocated with a calm expression. 

“I do. I respect every religion and I’m always interested in learning more about them”, he replied, trying to sound as confident as possible, even though the man’s stare made him feel uneasy and exposed. 

Jongdae nudged his brother’s side, seemingly not okay with his behavior and  Chanyeol dropped his gaze, finishing his meal in silence. 

“Out here it’s easier to live out shamanism in its original form. The cities got too big and modern for such things, nowadays our traditional rituals are rather a tourist attraction than a display of true belief. But you take what you can get, right? My family has lived here for generations. I was born here, and I’ll die here”, Mrs. Park said, her voice calm. 

“ Mum , please don’t say such things”,  Jongdae pleaded. 

“But that’s what I want, darling. I’m not saying tomorrow’s the day, but my roots are here”, she replied before she turned to Baekhyun, “The boys should go away though, move closer to the city like their friends did. But somehow, they’re rather clinging onto me, so…” 

Chanyeol looked at her, one of his brows lifted upwards and his mouth clenched into a thin line. It seemed like this was not the first time that the topic came up. 

Mrs. Park looked at the empty plates and smiled contentedly. “It’s late.  Chanyeol will show you  to  your room. Have a good night, Baekhyun”, she said and gave him a warm smile before she looked at her eldest son, slightly tilting her head in expectancy. 

Chanyeol sighed and pushed back his chair, an uncomfortable screech cutting the silence. Baekhyun stood up slowly, thanking her for the food and bowing politely,  Chanyeol already walking to the corridor. 

“You coming?” He asked with sharp voice and Baekhyun hurried after him, grabbing his backpack.

They entered a small room at the very end of the corridor. It was equipped with basic furniture, some traditional decorations spread along the dresser, the window sill and bedside tables. Baekhyun stood in the middle of the room, clutching onto the backpack and taking in his surroundings.  Chanyeol remained at the door, the knob inside his hand and his gaze unwavering. 

“Just… stay inside the room. The rest of the house is none of your business, understood?” He asked then, to which Baekhyun only nodded eagerly before  Chanyeol slammed the door shut and left Baekhyun alone.

The boy just stood there in silence, staring at the door. 

_ “Well, you better do what he wants… Seems like the guy hates your guts, for whatever reason” _ , Beom said. 

It was the first time he had spoken to Baekhyun ever since they went inside. 

“Shut up and let me sleep. I want to be well-rested when I hit the road again tomorrow”, Baekhyun hissed out and then prepared himself for bed. 

Without further disturbances or any of Beom’s taunting remarks, Baekhyun fell asleep in the unfamiliar bed, the last of his thoughts being the face of a certain grumpy man with Yoda-ears… 


	2. Chair Over

Baekhyun woke up late in the morning, his body well-rested and his mood a lot better than yesterday. He went to the closest bathroom, taking a shower before he got dressed again and walked to the kitchen. Mrs. Park was there, together with her mother, feeding her and speaking in soft Jeju.

“Good morning. You looked exhausted, I told the boys not to wake you”, she said, not looking up from her task.

"Thanks I... that was more than necessary", Baekhyun said with a little chuckle, ruffling through his freshly washed hair.

"You want coffee?" She asked then and Baekhyun nodded, walking over to pour some of the dark liquid into a cup.

He sat down with her then, gladly taking the food she offered for breakfast. They sat in silence and Baekhyun was rather thankful for it. He could sense the curiousness of Mrs. Park, but she was polite enough not to ask questions.

As he was done eating, he stood up, shouldering his backpack and heading towards the door while Mrs. Park cleaned the table.

"I better get going. Thanks for your hostility, it was very kind of you", he thanked her and bowed politely. She smiled at him, meanwhile fiddling with the dishes.

"You know, there's a lot of work on the farm... Maybe you'd like to stay for a couple of days? Help us out with another pair of hands? I can't pay any money, but I'd offer a roof to sleep under and meals, three times a day. What do you think of it?" She asked, her voice slightly higher, rather convincing than offering him.

Baekhyun tilted his head, thinking about it. He wondered whether she had spoken with her sons, whether she had just decided or talked it out with them. He wondered why she was trying to make him stay - was it really because of the work that needed to be done or was there something else?

 _"Why are you pondering? I thought you liked it here..."_ Beom commented surprisingly, hitting the nail on the head.

"Yes, why not? Sounds like a good deal to me", Baekhyun answered with a smile.

"Good. You can change into different clothes if you like, Jongdae is your size. His room is back there, you can go and borrow some, he won't mind", she said and went to the main door then, "See you outside."

Baekhyun did not question it - as long as he did not need to borrow Chanyeol's clothes, there would not be a problem for him. He brought his backpack back to the room which was his for the next days. Afterwards he went to Jongdae's room, carefully knocking and entering, finding the room empty as expected.

He looked around curiously, the room was neatly organized with only a couple of books scattered over a desk and the bedside tables. The room was two times bigger than Baekhyun's, but he didn’t mind, he only had one single backpack anyways. Jongdae also had a TV, a CD-player and a computer. A huge dresser standing in a corner. Baekhyun opened it, taking out solid jeans and a casual black shirt, hoping that these were pieces he could wear for a long workday.

Baekhyun made his way out of the room again, his gaze halting on a pinboard with pictures. There was a younger version of Jongdae, sitting on a horse, his dark brown curls popping out beneath a helmet and a bright smile on his face. There were also pictures of him and his friends, a picture of his mother holding baby-Jongdae in her arms. Baekhyun noticed a photograph of the two brothers then, standing in front of the farm with the two little dogs at their feet. Chanyeol had an arm around the younger's shoulders, a smile decorating his lips. He looked very... different. Baekhyun couldn't quite match the grumpy version of yesterday's Chanyeol with the happy one on that picture.

 _"He looks better this way, you can admit it. You think he's handsome, I know you"_ , Beom concluded, causing Baekhyun to blush.

"You're right. But both of them look nice on it. Jongdae could be my age, right?" Baekhyun asked, trying to change the topic.

 _"He is a year older than you, turned 24 last year in September. Chanyeol is 27, he'll turn 28 in December”_ , Beom answered nonchalantly.

“You couldn’t know that unless you snooped around. Beom, why are you always doing that!? These people were kind enough to let us stay here, you shouldn't nose around in their stuff in return”, Baekhyun scolded him, angry about Beom’s indifference.

 _“You know I get bored whenever you sleep, I thought I'd find out more about these people in the meantime. Lucky for you, they seem to be some of the rare good ones. Otherwise I wouldn't have let you stay”_ , Beom replied, his voice unshaken.

“You're unbelievable, seriously. Don't even think of doing that again, it's already annoying enough to have you invading my privacy 24/7”, Baekhyun huffed, their usual discussion coming up.

 _“Pfff, privacy is overrated. I've seen you naked ever since you were born, you haven't had a boyfriend since high school with whom you didn't go past first base and you rarely have naughty thoughts – so what's there to invade, hm?”_ Beom argued.

“And what do you think might be the reason for my lack of a private life, hm?” Baekhyun asked in return, both of them knowing the answer. 

_“I'm truly sorry for being a burden. I promise, next time you're trying to plan on kissing someone, I'll just take my leave out of your head, since we both know I can oh so easily do that”_ , Beom said sarcastically, causing Baekhyun to sigh in defeat, their argument ending as fast as usual. There was just no point in fighting over something they didn’t have any influence in.

“You're right. I'm sorry... I...” Baekhyun started but Beom interrupted him.

_“You didn't mean it, I know. I'm only trying to protect you, Baekhyun. I know you wish you could live without my presence in your mind, I can't fulfill that wish though...”_

“No, no. Please don't say that. I don't want to part from you. You're... you're my brother. You're the only one I've got”, Baekhyun hurried to say, his voice coming out strained and he felt close to crying.

Baekhyun had always been very emotional, the protection he had built up on his own almost as fragile as an eggshell. Beom perfectly knew that and that was why he always tried to be there for him, no matter the cost.

 _“I'm not going anywhere, brother. I'm right here. You’re stuck with me”, Beom eased him, his voice soft and Baekhyun immediately relaxed. “Now go and help the lady, she must be waiting for you still”_ , Beom added, chuckling when Baekhyun cursed and ran out of the house, not wanting to make her wait any longer.

\---

Mrs. Park showed him around the farm, telling him that they mostly made money with their horses, breeding and training them in order to sell them later. There were around 50 horses at the moment, more than half of them destined to get sold by the end of summer. 40 of them, like the horse Baekhyun met the day before, were purebred Jeju horses.

Jeju horses were once considered to be endangered, which was why the government of the island registered them ever since and often sent people to check on them. Mrs. Park told him that they would get three seasonal workers in June, in addition to herself and her sons, but that they would only come on weekdays, so the Parks were always alone on weekends. It was a lot of work in the summer, always keeping them busy. But like she had said the night before, she did not want it differently.

“So, when you sell the Jeju horses, are there any preferences? I read about their remarkable stamina and endurance, that current breeds get used for racing and riding. I was wondering whether, aside from their physical traits, their color makes any difference? The chongma on the rearmost paddock for example. Is it secluded for breeding purposes?” Baekhyun asked as they reached the stable behind the main house.

“Oh, you seem to know the names for the different types, I didn’t expect that”, Mrs. Park said in surprise.

“Well, I was always interested in horses and I found a brochure about Jeju horses on the fairy so…” Baekhyun explained.

“I see… the grey stallion you mentioned is Chanyeol’s project. He named him Quicksilver. He saved him from an abusive owner, but he’s suffering from a trauma ever since. No one’s been able to ride him yet, not even my sons and they’re both excellent with horses. Quicksilver is mulish and he doesn’t go too well with others – a thing he shares with Chanyeol if I may add that”, Mrs. Park answered, a bitter smile on her lips, “By the way... I told him to apologize for his behavior, I hope he’ll listen to his mother for once. I’m really sorry for his sharp words yesterday. He’s a good son, but his temper gets ahead of him sometimes”, she added.

So, they knew already, the brothers were informed that Baekhyun would stay longer. He was just not sure whether he was glad about that or if he would have preferred the surprise effect on them.

“Oh… you didn’t need to, really. It’s fine, no harm done, I experienced worse”, Baekhyun assured her, feeling uncomfortable with the fact that a grown-up man got scolded by his mother, just for being impolite towards him. She gave him a scrutinizing glance but nodded, considering the topic done.

“To answer your question, color can be a preference for some acquirers, but not necessarily. Quicksilver got secluded due to his own and the other horses’ safety, but once he reaches breeding age, which will be around next year, we’ll definitely put him together with a suitable mare, his physical condition is promising”, Mrs. Park told him, leading Baekhyun into one of the stables.

“I think it’s best if you start with something smaller than horses for today. We got three sheep and two goats back here. You may clean up their space, feed them, and get new water. Don’t rush anything, I’m sure they’ll enjoy your company. Meet up with one of us when you’re ready, we won’t eat lunch before 1 o’clock”, she informed him and Baekhyun nodded eagerly before she left him alone with the animals.

The task was to his liking, especially because it was much different to what he was used to. And even though he could not work with the horses today, he was sure that Mrs. Park would consider him for them once he would have proven himself capable of easy tasks as well. So, he started cleaning up the space of this stable, humming to himself while doing so.

 _“You know, I could help you with that. You’d be finished a lot faster”_ , Beom suggested after a while, seemingly bored.

“No, thanks. I’m doing this on my own. It’s good work and I’m intending to earn my part honestly”, Baekhyun insisted, wiping away the sweat that was forming on his forehead.

 _“Do as you please…”_ Beom replied, suppressing his disapproval.

Baekhyun continued without further hindrance. He cleaned up, talked to the goats and sheep, refilled their troughs and let them graze on the smallest paddock outside. All in all, he was very content with his work.

During his first years in the agency, he had been going through physical training in close-combat, soon accepting that his petite and light stature was not made to withstand a lot. He had successfully finished it nonetheless, after coming up with his own style of fighting, one that matched his strengths and weaknesses, as well as Beom’s extraordinary abilities. The physical occupation on the farm was a new challenge for him now, but he liked the fact that it brought some peace to his mind, gave him an easiness he had not been able to enjoy in years. Of course, there was always Beom inside his head, but the latter seemed to be leaving him to himself for now and Baekhyun was thankful for it.

When he was finished, he said his goodbyes to the animals, after secretly naming every one of them, and took his leave. He went out of the barn, fixing the clothing and stroking back his yet again stringy and damp hair.

The sun was at its peak and Baekhyun guessed that it was past 1 p.m., so he looked over the farm, searching for any sign of Mrs. Park or her sons, with no success. He decided to head back into the main house, expecting to find her there - maybe he could help her prepare lunch?

As soon as he got close to the building, he spotted the grandmother, Kim Minjee, on the porch. She sat in her wheelchair, a thin blanket over her legs and the usual faraway look in her eyes. He decided to walk over, kneeling down beside her and reaching out for her hand as he started speaking in a soft voice.

“Hello, Mrs. Kim. They told me you wouldn’t speak to anyone, but I’d still like to introduce myself personally. I’m Baekhyun. I’m pleased to have met you and your family. Your horse farm is quite enchanting, I’m glad that Mrs. Park allowed me to stay.”

Mrs. Kim’s gaze was still fixed on nothing particular, no reaction coming from her, but Baekhyun did not mind it. He understood, he knew that her former self was trapped somewhere and could not reach the surface. He could consider himself kind of an expert, with both Beom and him sharing one mind. So Baekhyun could easily imagine that there were a lot of other situations as well, especially with a common disease like Mrs. Kim’s dementia.

Throughout his time in the agency, he had learned a lot of scientific, psychic and medical facts about the brain and its wonders. He had come to understand his and Beom’s connection, found out how special they were and also experienced what came along with it… The sacrifices. The isolation. The feeling of getting used for higher goods.

Thinking about this, he experienced yet another moment where he knew that his decision had been right - running away so he could find to himself, somewhere away from the agency and its confinement.

He got shaken out of his thoughts as he heard heavy footsteps behind him, turning to see who it was, his body immediately tensed as he stood up. Chanyeol stood on the porch now, looking at him with furrowed brows. He wore riding clothes, holding a helmet in his hand. The riding pants were tight and underlined his long slender legs which were slightly O-shaped. He was also wearing an oversized vinous shirt that reached over his hips. His dark hair was slightly messy and his skin looked shiny under the sun, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"What are you doing? She won't answer you, just let her be", Chanyeol snapped at him.

"I just wanted to introduce myself properly. Only because she can't answer, doesn't mean she won't understand", Baekhyun replied, his voice surprisingly strong.

Chanyeol's frown only worsened. "What do you know about it, huh? Have you been living with a person suffering from dementia?" He asked, his voice unfriendly.

Baekhyun remained silent, looking down at the ground. "Yeah... thought so", Chanyeol said, taunting him.

"Now step aside, I'd like to take her inside for lunch", Chanyeol added, no sign of politeness in his voice.

Baekhyun did as he was told, feeling an uncomfortable knot inside of him, shoulders hanging low.

Why was the guy so hostile towards him? What was it that angered him so much about Baekhyun's presence?

Baekhyun didn't know. All he wanted was to live in peace, gain new experiences and find the happiness he deserved. The farm had seemed like a perfect place for that.

Should he move on? What could he do to earn the other’s sympathy?

 _"Stop doubting yourself, you've done nothing wrong. The guy's just a bullhead. Don’t worry because of him"_ , Beom demanded.

His brother always got angry whenever Baekhyun was troubled because of someone else and he tended to overreact, trying to defend Baekhyun's honor - often enough making things even worse.

"Please don't do anything stupid", Baekhyun mumbled through his teeth.

 _"What do you think of me? I never do stupid things"_ , Beom replied innocently and Baekhyun was sure that it meant no good...

\---

They were all summoned at the table, Mrs. Park handing out bowls with Gamjaguk.

Jongdae was looking at Baekhyun with a smile, picking up a conversation.

"So, you'll stay for a while?" He asked and Baekhyun nodded slowly.

"Seems like it."

"Awesome! I mean... it's great to have someone around, helping on the farm and all", Jongdae said, the tips of his ears slightly reddening.

"How was it with the sheep and goats, did you finish everything?" Mrs. Park asked then.

"Yes, you can check if you want, but I don't think I forgot anything. I liked the task. They behaved well, such cute and smart animals they are", Baekhyun answered, smiling brightly as he remembered how he had cuddled them from time to time.

"You're not supposed to find them cute or play with them. We work with them, they are important for our existence", Chanyeol huffed out, looking at Baekhyun in annoyance.

"I'm sure you did well, Baekhyun-ssi. Don't mind him. He's fond of them as well, he just doesn't want to admit it", Jongdae said with a wink, countering his brother's ill-humor with positivity.

Chanyeol grumbled something incomprehensible before continuing to eat. Chanyeol was just about to lead the spoon to his mouth as it dropped out of his hand, landing in the soup with a splash, staining his shirt and face. Jongdae laughed loudly and Baekhyun had to suppress a giggle, Mrs. Park as well.

"Seems like someone can't even keep up a single spoon", Jongdae teased him, earning a glare from Chanyeol.

The latter reached for a tissue then, cleaning the stains of soup as good as possible. Baekhyun continued eating until he sensed the younger brother’s eyes on him, looking back at him with a little smile.

"Where do you come from, Baekhyun-ssi? Your skin is so pale and soft, you don't seem to be from the countryside", Jongdae wanted, curiousness in his voice.

Baekhyun did not know how much he could tell them. He ran away from everything he knew. He ran away from powerful people who were using him and Beom for their benefit… Nonetheless he decided that he could at least tell them where he was from.

The Parks were trustful and even though the eldest son seemed to dislike him, there was no reason to keep everything about himself a secret. He just hoped that his old life would not catch up with him.

"I was born in Bucheon, but came to Seoul when I was six years old and lived there ever since", he answered.

"Oh, a boy from the capital, how exciting. It must be such a huge difference to be on the island now, witnessing such an outback", Jongdae said jokingly.

"Yeah, it's very different. But that's what I was looking for... an easy, peaceful life without the pressure of the city", Baekhyun explained, a soft smile decorating his lips.

"Oh, so you think our life's easy? This is not some paradise vacation here. The horse farm is our existence, not just a result of some life crisis", Chanyeol hissed at him and Baekhyun immediately regretted his choice of words.

"That's... that's not what I meant. I know it's hard work here and I really respect your life and culture here. I always wanted to know what it would feel like", Baekhyun tried again, his voice careful and expression anxious.

"This is no place for experiments..." Chanyeol replied, his expression still relentless.

"I... I'm not experimenting. I came here to make a change... to start a new life. I don't think I'm the first person who wishes for a fresh start", Baekhyun said defensively.

Chanyeol just stared at him, eyes cold. The tension was thick when suddenly, a loud crack broke through the silence. Chanyeol’s chair fell into pieces, sending him to the ground with a loud gasp.

"What the hell?!" Chanyeol exclaimed, trying to untangle himself from the mess of wood. Baekhyun's first intention was to help him up, but that would have angered him even more, most probably. So, he remained seated, watching the scene with worrisome eyes, as well as Mrs. Park did.

Chanyeol was cursing nonstop, finally standing up in the most inelegant way, rubbing his behind. Jongdae, who was having the time of his life instead, kept grinning from one ear to another.

“Karma is a bitch, right?” He winked at his brother and Baekhyun heard a soft chuckle inside his mind.

 _“Exactly…”_ Beom mumbled and Baekhyun knew that it was not just an accident.

He bit his lip, somehow feeling sorry for Chanyeol, who looked crestfallen, staring down at what was once a sturdy chair. True fact, the man had been quite mean towards him, but Beom’s punishments were always a bit over the top and Baekhyun just hoped that these would not become a usual thing for Chanyeol.

The latter seemed to have collected himself again, glaring at Baekhyun as if it was all his fault – which was right to some extent.

“I’ve had enough. Thanks for lunch, mum. I’ll go back to train the horses… gotta try my luck with Quicksilver again”, Chanyeol announced and left the house without further comments.

“That boy… he definitely didn’t get his temper from me…” Mrs. Park said with a sigh as soon as her eldest was gone.

The mood, that followed at the table, was a strange one and Baekhyun was relieved when they started cleaning up.

“How about you help Jongdae with the hay now? It’s not too difficult and he’ll show you everything. You’ll be busy for the rest of the afternoon though”, Mrs. Park suggested.

“I do whatever you ask of me. I know it’s only my first day and I might look a bit weak, but I’m eager to work hard and earn my spot here”, Baekhyun told her.

“I know you could do it, I can see the fire burning inside of you, Baekhyun. It’s very admirable for a young man like you and I make sure to keep this in mind. Now go work with my son and chat a bit, his lightheartedness can be a true blessing after one of Chanyeol’s little outbursts. Try to think of it for the future”, she said with a little wink and dismissed him, Baekhyun bowing thankfully.

He followed Jongdae outside then, both boys already starting to talk freely and with warm smiles on their faces.


	3. Mulish Stallion

Working alongside Jongdae was fun. The guy was funny, kind and overall an open-minded person. With his curly brown hair and the contagious laughter, he seemed younger than he was. But now that Baekhyun got to talk with him in private, he realized that there was a lot more to the other.

He was very smart and eloquent, knew a lot about technical stuff and biological procedures.

“I read a lot. I once thought about moving to the mainland in order to study biology, but granny got sick and I didn't want to leave Chanyeol and Ma alone with everything”, Jongdae explained after Baekhyun had asked him about all his knowledge.

“I see… Guess it wasn't an easy decision to make. What about your brother, he never wanted to leave the farm or the island?” Baekhyun wanted to know.

Jongdae flicked his tongue at that, continuing to throw hay down from the hayloft.

“Chanyeol is a complicated case. He might not seem like it, but he's actually a little scaredy-cat. He doesn't go well with change. He overthinks everything and mostly sticks to what he's used to”, Jongdae said.

“I don't understand”, Baekhyun said and tilted his head, shortly taking a break from collecting more hay.

“Chanyeol is very talented in making music. He plays the piano, the guitar, he is good at mixing. Six years ago, he had a gig at one of the fancy hotels, down in Seogwipo. It was a big thing for him and he was so excited. There was a music producer among the guests, he offered to take Chanyeol under contract after he’d seen how talented he was but, as you may have guessed by now, he declined”, Jongdae told him with a sigh.

“You're kidding me, right? Why would he do such a thing? Such a great chance…” Baekhyun asked.

“Like I said, he's a scaredy-cat. He hates change. Don't start asking me why… his principles never made much sense to me”, Jongdae replied, shaking his head.

“What about you though? Will you ever try going to university again?” Baekhyun wanted to know after thinking about Chanyeol’s choices. It gave him headaches, trying to figure out what was going on inside the giant’s head.

“Hmm… I don't know. I'm happy as it is. The farm life is not easy but I have everything I need here. Sure, the majority of my friends live in the city and they all got decent jobs without the sweat and the hay, but we still manage to see each other often enough and it doesn't make a difference whether I'm a horse farmer or an employee in a laboratory. And I have my hobbies, so it never gets boring”, Jongdae explained with a content hum.

Baekhyun smiled. The other's positivity was truly refreshing. Jongdae noticed it and looked at him.

“What is it?”

Baekhyun looked down, still smiling shyly.

“It's just… you and Chanyeol, you're so different from each other. It's fascinating”, Baekhyun said.

Jongdae chuckled shortly and shrugged.

“Well, it is like it is. Ma always says that Chanyeol is just like our father, and I got all her traits instead”, he winked.

Baekhyun wondered whether it was the same with him and Beom, sadly he had no idea what their parents had been like and no one had been there to tell them.

“And your father he's…” Baekhyun spoke up, leaving the question unfinished.

“He died 20 years ago. A stroke, he didn't stand a chance. Chanyeol was seven, but I was only four when it happened, I don't remember how he was like”, Jongdae answered, his voice calm.

He had been living without a father for most of his life so he seemed distant enough, but Baekhyun could still see that it made him sad.

“I'm sorry to hear that”, Baekhyun said, not adding that he himself had been an orphan ever since he was a baby. This was about Jongdae, not his own little tragedy.

“Thank you, Baekhyun-ssi”, Jongdae said and gave him a smile before he made his way down from the hayloft.

Together they lifted the hay onto wheelbarrows, moving them out of the barn. They brought them to the stables, scattering all the hay until the stables’ storages were filled up again.

“Phew… that was a lot of hay today”, Jongdae sighed in exhaustion after several hours of doing the task.

“Yes…” Baekhyun agreed with a chuckle, his soft skin glowing under the sun.

He noticed some stray hay in Jongdae's hair, reaching forward to pick it out.

“Oh my, thank you. Happens to me all the time”, Jongdae said with a chuckle and remained still.

“No problem... Alright, here goes the last one”, Baekhyun said then, smiling friendly.

"Great, thank you”, Jongdae replied and then walked out of the stable.

“So, we finished earlier than planned. I'll go and look after Chanyeol, ask him whether there's anything else to do. You can go back to the house if you'd like to, you earned yourself some rest. It was fun with you", Jongdae said and smiled friendly, patting Baekhyun’s shoulder.

"Thanks, it was fun with you as well. I'd rather come with you though, I still got energy left. Is that okay?" Baekhyun replied, pleased that the other had liked working with him.

"Yeah, of course. I just hope Chanyeol is in a better mood than earlier though. That thing with the chair was just hilarious. I must say, he deserved it. I'm really sorry for the way he snapped at you, it wasn't nice", Jongdae said, the two of them walking away from the main building and down the road.

"It's okay... I'm not someone to hold a grudge, at least not because of something like this", Baekhyun said with a shrug, still feeling a bit guilty.

 _"He deserved it and you know it. Stop trying so hard, Baekhyunnie. You can't be an angel all of the time"_ , Beom said, surprising Baekhyun because he had been unusually quiet all day.

Baekhyun did not reply to it, it was their usual discussion anyways with Beom trying to convince Baekhyun to stand up for himself, fight back. But that was not how he himself wanted to solve things. He knew that it was smarter to back off from time to time, give into another one's opinion to keep a balanced peace.

Baekhyun was sick of fighting all the time. He got shoved into a life that was not made for him, a job that collided with most of his morals. It was Beom who got him through all of that, Beom who pushed him up whenever he fell down, Beom who eased his conscience, who comforted him. Baekhyun thought that it was about time that he'd take the lead now, find his own strength and do things his way.

 _"I won't give up easily, brother. I'll protect you when necessary, you'll have to let me... then I can promise that I won't stand in your way. I won't fight the lifestyle you're aiming for. I won't fight whom you befriend with or what work you'll do. But, and I'm insisting, I'll protect you from everything that could harm you"_ , Beom spoke up again, reacting to Baekhyun's thoughts.

Baekhyun sighed, not really liking the agreement, but he would get back to it later. For now, he wanted to focus on the present, on Jongdae and the rest of the family.

They spotted the older Park son as soon as they got close to the paddock. Chanyeol had a blanket in his hands, carefully walking towards a familiar grey horse - Quicksilver. He was probably trying to get the blanket over the horse's back, but whenever he got too close, the horse galloped away from him.

Baekhyun and Jongdae stopped at the fence, watching with interest, even though Jongdae did not watch the spectacle for the first time. Chanyeol straightened his back, trying to ignore the two of them, solely focusing on Quicksilver. The horse was grazing, acting all innocent and relaxed. But as soon as Chanyeol was merely two steps away from him, the stallion perked up, neighed and galloped away.

Chanyeol threw the blanket down to the ground.

"This is senseless. I'm so done with that horse. He's done the exact same thing for the last thirty minutes!" He exclaimed, groaning in annoyance.

"He's taunting you, Yeol. He's testing your patience", Jongdae told him, seemingly not for the first time.

"I know that. But he's gotta give in sooner or later, this game is starting to get boring", Chanyeol replied, gesturing wildly.

"Look at him. He doesn't seem bored to me, he looks as if he's having the time of his life", Jongdae said, giggling behind his hand.

Chanyeol walked over to them, sparing Baekhyun with a short glance before he leaned against the fence, facing his brother.

"But how will I be able to prepare him for riding when he won't even let me stroke him, much less put a blanket over his back?" Chanyeol asked in desperation, a hand roaming over his face, some of his hair falling behind his pointy ears.

"Maybe he doesn't want to get ridden by you, nor ridden in general. At least you managed to take away some of his fear and aggressiveness so we could take care of him properly", Jongdae argued before looking at Baekhyun, "You must know, Quicksilver used to snap at us, even tried to kick us multiple times. It took a few weeks until we were allowed to get close to him. It really wasn't easy", he informed him.

Baekhyun nodded.

"I see... well, he's a beautiful horse. Your mother already told me that he's got a lot of potential. You accomplished things with him already. Maybe he just needs... even more time until he's ready for it", he said.

"Have you had experiences with horses before?" Chanyeol asked, the doubt in his voice clear.

“N-not like you do, but...” Baekhyun started, getting shy under the older’s intense gaze.

 _“Breathe, Baekhyun. He asked a simple question and you know the answer better than he does”_ , Beom tried to ease him.

“...but I read a lot. Horses, animals in general, always fascinated me. Especially because in a city like Seoul you barely see them, only in zoos. I might not have face-to-face experience like you, but animals can be very similar to humans. Sometimes you need to be patient with them, make them comfortable around you so you can earn their trust. Poor Quicksilver has been through a lot, try to see things from his perspective. I’m sure you’ll find the right way with him then”, Baekhyun finished, his voice steady and strong.

Chanyeol was still staring at him, Baekhyun bravely holding his gaze. There was something in Chanyeol’s eyes that Baekhyun could not decipher, something apart from anger.

Was it admiration? Surprise? Confusion? Whatever it was, it made Chanyeol back off from the fence.

“Very well...” he said and bent down to grab the blanket. He walked over to the gate then, leaving the paddock and them without another word as he headed to the house.

Baekhyun was looking after him, a confused sigh escaping his pouty lips.

“And that’s how you started earning Park Chanyeol’s respect. Oh my...” Jongdae said in admiration, putting a hand onto his arm, patting it softly.

Baekhyun only looked at him, utterly confused.

“I just... I just said what I thought was best... now he hates me even more”, Baekhyun groaned.

Jongdae’s brows arched up at that.

“Hate you? No, why should he? You haven’t said anything to offend him. You were just... right. I believe he got that, and that’s what angers him probably. The fact that he didn’t stay to argue, only makes it clear to me. He’s starting to accept you being here”, Jongdae chirped, clearly happy with that revelation.

Baekhyun was still not wholly convinced, but they were brothers, Jongdae should know better than him.

“Come on, stop thinking about it, you’ll only get wrinkles out of it. Nobody figured him out yet”, the other told him.

 _“He’s right. You did nothing wrong. Stick with him, I like him”_ , Beom said and Baekhyun smiled. Finally, something they agreed on.

\---

They were having dinner. The conversation was light and comfortable. It mostly consisted of Jongdae and his mother talking, chatting about a project that Jongdae initiated.

“... We even got someone for the financial part now. It was quite surprising that someone would invest actual money in a firefly reservation project. Wonpil-ah was the one who got our investor on board, he met her in one of the resorts down in Seogwipo”, Jongdae told them.

“Kim Wonpil? Yeeun’s younger brother?” Mrs. Park asked in surprise.

“Yes, him exactly. I was surprised as well, since he barely talks to people. But somehow, he was able to charm her, gain her interest for the project”, Jongdae answered with a smile.

“But, wasn’t he the one from your middle school class? The one with Asperger?” Chanyeol asked and Jongdae nodded.

“Yes, that’s still him”, he answered with a chuckle.

“Well that’s great. I didn’t even know you got in touch again after he left your school”, Mrs. Park said, visibly happy about that.

“I thought I told you after I met him a few months ago. Him and his boyfriend will come here next weekend, so we can discuss the project. I hope that’s okay with you. You’ll be able to see him again”, Jongdae said.

“Of course, of course. I will gladly welcome then. Haven’t seen little Wonpil in so many years... time flew by so quickly. And now he even has a boyfriend, how lovely”, she said.

“What a great project you have there, Jongdae-ssi. If you don’t mind, maybe I could become part of it as well? It sounds very interesting”, Baekhyun spoke up after listening to their conversation attentively.

“Oh absolutely, Baekhyun-ah. I’d love to have you. The more the better. I’ve asked Chanyeollie as well, but he doesn’t care a thing about these wonderful bugs”, Jongdae answered, eyes narrowed at his brother.

Chanyeol lazily glanced back at him, seemingly unimpressed by the criticism.

“I don’t have the time for that, Dae. How often do I need to tell you? The farm is more important, especially this summer. I can’t run around on the island and protect some glowing bugs. I gotta take care of us first”, he argued and Jongdae only pouted at that.

“We could keep you up to date nonetheless. You don’t need to partake actively, but I’m sure your brother would be very happy to know you care”, Baekhyun said nonchalantly and Chanyeol’s expression turned into a frown, his usual stare trying to expose all of Baekhyun’s insecurities.

Jongdae opened his mouth, then closed it again, an amused grin on his lips.

“Yes, Baekhyun is right. Your brother would be very happy if you’d care for one of his projects at least once”, he chirped teasingly.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at him, spluttering.

“Your projects were always chaotic, Dae. In the end you’ve worked your ass off for zero recognition. This one will be the same, most probably”, the older shrugged.

A sad look appeared on Jongdae’s face and Baekhyun was almost scared that he would start crying.

“Why are you such a pessimist? I would live much better without your cynical comments”, Jongdae replied, obviously disappointed by his brother’s behavior.

“Gosh, Jongdae. Please don’t make a thing out of it. I’m just trying to be realistic. I don’t want to see all your effort as a waste of energy in the end. I’ll think about it, okay?” Chanyeol gave in, his expression conciliatory.

The two brothers stared at each other for some seconds, Jongdae’s pout turning into a smile.

“Alright, Chan. I understand your worries, but this project is different. We got the perfect location, we got an investor... there are other people helping me. I think we can really make it this time”, Jongdae said and pointed at Baekhyun as if to confirm his argument.

“Hmm, you got a point. I’m very proud”, Chanyeol said dryly, a glint in his eyes.

“Yah! Now you’re making fun of me”, Jongdae whined.

Chanyeol only lifted his glass and took a sip, his face pure innocence.

“My boys... still like kids from time to time”, Mrs. Park commented, chuckling amusedly and giving Baekhyun an apologizing look.

The latter smiled shyly, familiar with the teasing between brothers. Even though his brother could be annoying at times, it would be boring without some little arguments from time to time.

 _“I enjoy it as well, Baekhyunnie”_ , he heard Beom chirping inside his head. And of course, Beom won these arguments 90 % of the time, leaving Baekhyun under his wishes.

“Now that is not true. Look how things are at the moment. Am I or am I not giving you all the free space you’ve been wishing for, hm?” Beom asked, his voice containing some sharpness.

Baekhyun chose not to think about it further, instead he replied to Mrs. Park.

“I don’t mind. It’s... it’s entertaining”, he said truthfully, giggling lowly behind his hand.

That of course earned him a frowning look from Chanyeol, but in this moment, Baekhyun did not back off.

“See, we’re amusing him even, Chan”, Jongdae said and giggled as well.

Chanyeol looked in-between his brother, his mother and Baekhyun, all of them falling into a heartfelt laughter. But even the oh-so-severe Chanyeol could not hold it this time, a small but appealing smile appearing on his lips.

“Why am I still having family dinners? I really don’t know why I’m here...” he grumbled to himself then and stood up, starting to clean the table.

But Baekhyun did not buy it, the smile on the man’s face was still lingering.

“Because you love our company and because mother’s cooking is way too good to forgo it”, Jongdae replied triumphantly.

“Of course, that’s gotta be it...” Chanyeol huffed and Mrs. Park stood up, putting a hand on his back, stroking along the broad shoulders.

“You don’t need to feel urged to eat with us, Chanyeol. You can go eat and meet up with friends whenever you want, I won’t give you any bad feelings. You know that, right?” She asked, blinking slowly.

He turned around to face her, a soft expression on his face.

“I do, mum. You don’t need to worry about me. Jongdae is right, about both things”, he eased her and she smiled thankfully.

“I’m glad then.”

Baekhyun had been watching the exchange in delight – it was great to see what a caring mother looked like. He had been with the Parks for merely a day and he had already experienced more warmth and devotion than in the whole of his early childhood.

Him and Jongdae helped cleaning the table, Baekhyun walking over to the sink, putting the plates right next to it. Mrs. Park and her eldest son were still talking to each other when one exchange caught his attention.

“And by the way, next Wednesday I’ll have to finish earlier than usual. I hope you won’t mind”, Chanyeol said nonchalantly.

“Oh of course not. May I ask what you’ll be up to? Last time you finished earlier, you went out for dinner”, she wanted to know.

Again, for the second time this evening, Baekhyun saw a strangely fond smile on Chanyeol’s face, the tips of his ears even reddening.

“Right, same plan this time. I’ll be meeting up with someone I met at the beach two weeks ago. We’ll have dinner in Seogwipo”, he answered.

“That’s great to hear. Like I said, you don’t need to feel pressured to be here all the time. If another dinner will follow, you can just take off, I won’t keep you. Now that Baekhyun’s here, there is one more pair of hands, we’ll manage without you every now and then”, she told him.

“Thanks, mum. We’ll see how things will turn out. Now, I’ll go to bed. Have a good night”, Chanyeol wished them, hugging his mother before he turned to face his brother. “Sleep well, Dae”, he said and patted his shoulder, the other smiling at him.

“Good night, granny”, Chanyeol continued, placing a peck on his grandmother’s forehead.

Baekhyun, who was still standing at the sink, was looking at him with big shy eyes. But Chanyeol only gave him a nod and went to his room without another word.

Baekhyun had to gulp down his disappointment. He had not expected much, but at least a good night or maybe one of the rare smiles. Of course, he did not get it. This was Chanyeol after all, who was still not comfortable around him.

Baekhyun understood that he was a stranger for the other, someone who had appeared in their life without a warning and whom he was not fond of. He did not know how long it would take until Chanyeol would warm up to him, he did not even know if Chanyeol was the type to warm up at all. With his cold and grumpy demeanor, he did not seem easy to crack and Baekhyun was not sure how much effort it could cost him.

He sighed shortly, finishing his tasks fast and on autopilot. He was more than ready to fall into his bed and pity himself now.

He wished the others a good night, again thanking them for their hospitality. He did not notice the worried look that Mrs. Park and Jongdae exchanged once he had left the kitchen in a hurry.

Arriving in his room, he routinely prepared himself for bed with urgency, until he found himself lying on the bed, curled up into himself, blanket discarded on the edge of the thin mattress. He sighed deeply, his eyes narrowed in the dark of the room.

“Beom? Am I a strange person?” He asked with low voice, waiting for the other’s answer.

 _“Yes, you are, but only the good way of strange. You’re special, Hyun, very. Why are you asking?”_ Beom asked back.

“I’m self-conscious. I want to find out why everyone but Chanyeol is nice to me. What did I do wrong?” He asked.

 _“Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong. It’s just the way he is, don’t take him so seriously. Once you’ve been here long enough, he’ll come around. It’s you we’re talking about here. Pure-hearted and wonderful Baekhyun. I can’t see a way for him not to like you”_ , Beom answered softly.

“You’re only saying this to make me feel better. You don’t even like him, how would you know he won’t stay like this?” Baekhyun mumbled.

 _“No one will ever know. But why is it that important to you? Jongdae likes you, Mrs. Park and the animals here as well... Why do you need some giant doofus to like you?”_ Beom asked with a huff.

“I... I don’t know. I just don’t want anyone here to feel uncomfortable with my presence...” Baekhyun told him, even though there was more to it.

But Beom did not dig deeper.

 _“I see...”_ he just said.

After a while of silence, Baekhyun turned onto his back, staring at the ceiling as he was chewing on his lip.

“Did you... did you know that he was seeing someone?” Baekhyun asked with thin voice.

 _“I did not. But isn’t that what attractive guys do, seeing other attractive people...?”_ Beom asked in return.

“Yes... guess you’re right”, Baekhyun sighed lowly and closed his eyes.


	4. Nightly Revenge

The next couple of days were filled with new tasks on the horse farm and Baekhyun was occupied all day long.

He had been assigned to do the cleaning of the little animals’ stable again, but he had also been able to feed around a dozen of the horses, even examining their health status together with Mrs. Park and check other physical characteristics. Baekhyun especially enjoyed taking care of the younger horses, some of them needing special attention such as extra grooming or medical treatments.

Tuesday was kind of an inventory-day. Jongdae, Mrs. Park and Baekhyun went through several lists which segregated the horses according to weight, age, color, and physical condition. These lists were very important for calculations, showing how many and what horses they would need to sell in order to make as much profit as possible.

Baekhyun liked the task, he had always been good at such things. When he was a trainee at the agency, he enjoyed the training period among the team of analysts the most.

Jongdae had been quite surprised about the other’s analytical and mathematical skills, even asking Mrs. Park if Baekhyun could always join them on Tuesdays for the rest of summer. It filled Baekhyun with pride but also overwhelmed him a bit, noticing that Jongdae was expecting him to stay all summer. Not that he did not want to, but they just had not spoken about the duration of his stay yet... Mrs. Park said yes though, seemingly liking that arrangement.

\---

On Wednesday, Baekhyun was currently bathing one of the sheep which had fallen into a puddle of mud, he realized for the first time, that he had not worked with Chanyeol yet, not even once. He did not know whether it was just pure coincidence, whether he just was not ready to join him with his tasks or if the latter simply did not want him to tag along.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he jumped in surprise, hearing Beom’s voice all of a sudden.

 _“You’re almost done here... Why don’t you go look for him afterwards, see if there’s something you can help him with?”_ Beom suggested.

“I don’t know... I’m not sure if he’d fancy my company”, Baekhyun answered, fiddling around with the hem of his dark blue tank top.

 _“Well, I don’t get why you’d fancy his in return, but go try it. If he’ll send you away, he’ll send you away. At least you tried it then”_ , Beom argued and Baekhyun wondered why his brother was pushing him like this, even though he did not even like the man.

“Hmm... you’re probably right. I won’t be able to settle here for the summer if I don’t make sure of his blessing, right?” Baekhyun asked and nodded several times, as if to reassure himself.

 _“Exactly. I know you, you always want to please people around you, have them like you or at least accept you”_ , Beom answered with a little sigh.

“Would you rather have me letting everyone hate me and not care about it?” Baekhyun replied defensively.

 _“Something like it, yes. But I’ve been having a different opinion on that ever since... ever, so don’t mind me. People are selfish and annoying. You’ll always be the person to stand out as one of the rare and truly good ones in this world”_ , Beom said and Baekhyun felt flustered.

Beom was always strict with him, pushing him to his limits. If people would know as much about his brother’s temper as Baekhyun did, they would definitely have their problems with Beom. Probably to a point where they would find him impolite, pessimistic and unfriendly. But Baekhyun knew better.

Baekhyun was the one who knew, that his brother only behaved like that in order to protect him. That, for Beom, Baekhyun meant his everything, and vice versa. Even if it could be insanely annoying and unpleasant at times, being in one body, they were always there for each other, trusted each other in a way they could not trust anybody else. No one but them could quite realize what it meant to have two souls in one body, to be star-crossed brothers...

“Thank you, Beommie... I’ll go look for him, but... please behave”, Baekhyun begged him.

 _“Only if he will...”_ Beom insisted and Baekhyun rolled his eyes in defeat, standing up nonetheless.

He found Chanyeol in front of the barn with the open front, the one where they had their agricultural vehicles and several horse trailers. Baekhyun carefully walked over to the man, who was currently screwing on one of the bigger horse trailers.

“H-hey, Chanyeol-hyung...!” He spoke up carefully but Chanyeol answered with a curse, the screwdriver falling out of his hand.

“Damn it!”

Baekhyun flinched slightly but then hurried forward, picking up the tool and holding it out for Chanyeol, sheepishly looking at him. The other reciprocated his gaze, his expression a mix of surprise and discomfort on how close they stood.

When Chanyeol did not make a move on taking back the screwdriver, Baekhyun just put it down next to him, also increasing the distance between them.

“Sorry, I... I didn’t mean to yell at you. You just... caught me off guard”, Chanyeol explained after an uncomfortable silence.

“No no, don’t be sorry. The fault is on me”, Baekhyun told him instead.

The older just mumbled an okay and scratched his neck awkwardly, both of them standing in silence yet again.

“So... you were having trouble with this thing?” Baekhyun tried starting a proper conversation, pointing at the horse trailer’s hitch.

Chanyeol ruffled through his disheveled hair, making his appearance even messier. He still looked handsome though, wearing a dark grey muscle shirt that underlined his muscular arms, a jacket knotted around his long black pants and even a wristlet around his left arm.

Baekhyun’s eyes absentmindedly followed a little pearl of sweat that rolled down the man’s forehead, over his temple and past his furrowed brows and big dark eyes until it dripped down from his rather round chin. Chanyeol sighed, turning to the reason of his anger.

“Yes, I’ve been trying fix it all morning. I repaired the rest of the horse trailer in no time, but this part here is very stubborn...”

 _“Doesn’t seem like the only stubborn thing around here”_ , Beom mumbled inside of his head and Baekhyun had to stifle a chuckle.

Unluckily, Chanyeol seemed to notice, his frown deepening. “Did you come here to help or laugh at me?” He asked and Baekhyun was fast to compose his expression.

“Help, of course. I can try... my hands are smaller than yours, maybe I’ll reach it better”, Baekhyun offered with a little smile.

Chanyeol looked down at Baekhyun’s hands before slightly eying up the rest of him.

“Do you even know how to use such a tool?” He asked with raised brow and Baekhyun’s heart slightly beat faster, feeling nervous.

“Uhm... yes, of course I do”, Baekhyun lied defensively.

“Alright then, suit yourself”, Chanyeol shrugged, leaning against the trailer, following his every move.

Baekhyun determinedly crouched down next to the hitch, back facing Chanyeol so the man would not be able to see his nervousness as he was trying to figure out what to do.

 _“Let me handle it, you little fool...”_ Beom took over, telling him to pretend as if he was doing something when in reality, Beom was using his special abilities to get the screws off.

“Thank you... I owe you one”, Baekhyun mumbled as soon as all was properly fixed.

 _“I gladly did it, don’t worry”_ , Beom eased him and Baekhyun stood up, trying not to smile too widely.

“Done”, he chirped and Chanyeol’s eyes almost fell out of his face.

“Let me check...” he replied, moving past the younger, inspecting his work with eagle eyes.

Baekhyun waited obediently, a pretty smile still visible on his now pouty lips. The other really was too wary around him, it troubled Baekhyun to no end. All he wanted was for him to get accepted into the household, it was not meant to be forever! What could be so hard about accepting him?

 _“Haven’t you listened to what Jongdae told you? The guy doesn’t go well with change. A stranger knocking on your door and then coming to live with you and your family for supposedly the whole summer – that's a lot to take in”_ , Beom reminded him and Baekhyun wondered why his brother was kind of defending Chanyeol’s behavior.

 _“I’m not defending, just stating facts. I think he’s being very childish. We went through change after change in our life and see where it brought us, I don’t understand why he hates change so much”_ , Beom answered with a scoff.

Baekhyun agreed with his brother. He was determined to prove the opposite to Chanyeol.

The latter approached him again, now that he was done checking the fixed hitch. The frown had gotten replaced by an unreadable expression and Baekhyun was not sure whether he would snap at him again or behave nicely for once.

“It seems to be working. I don’t know how you did it but...” Chanyeol started and Baekhyun’s eyes grew wide.

Would he get a thank you? A little praise even? He would take everything at this point. Chanyeol was still looking at him, trailing off and sighing deeply before he turned away.

“...maybe you could help with one of the tractors as well? For me it’s troublesome fumbling, but you really have small hands”, Chanyeol finished, hands on hips and a brow lifted at him.

Baekhyun smiled happily. Even though there had not been a thank you, or a praise, Baekhyun was happy with the outcome. He got asked to help by the ever so grumpy lone fighter Park Chanyeol, and that was enough gratification for a whole week of hard work.

“Yes, yes I can do that”, Baekhyun agreed and smiled, cheeks slightly flushed and eyes shining brightly.

Chanyeol undid the jacket around his waist and threw it over his shoulder, nodding contentedly.

“Alright. Then I can go and get ready for my date. Perfect! The toolbox is there, the tractor in the left corner. Have fun with it, I’ll check on it tomorrow, am not sure whether I’ll be back for the night so... Bye for now”, Chanyeol announced and bowed to him half-heartedly before he walked to the house.

Baekhyun stood there unmoving, feeling as if a whole bucket of ice-water had been emptied on top of him.

 _“Baekhyun, he is...”_ Beom started, the pity audible.

“Don’t say a word. Let’s just fix that tractor and never ever talk about it again”, Baekhyun interrupted, his voice empty as he slumped towards the vehicle.

There were little tears of frustration threatening to escape his eyes, but Baekhyun remained strong. With the help of Beom he had the tractor fixed in no time, but he remained in the barn until he heard Chanyeol’s car driving off, only then did he lift his exhausted body to head back to the house.

He did not eat or talk much at dinner, the worried glances of Mrs. Park and Jongdae not going by unnoticed as Baekhyun excused himself to bed. But they did not say anything, just like Beom.

Baekhyun was able to sulk to his heart’s content that night. He did not even care to go through with his skin-care routine - which he had been able to relaunch after visiting a store with Jongdae the day before, also burrowing a night cream from the other – he fell onto the bed, staring at the ceiling and questioning all his attempts, all the ideas on how to make the oldest Park son accept and respect his stay here.

He knew it was only his fifth day here, but he felt as if his chances were shrinking hour to hour. With Mrs. Park or Jongdae, conversation was so easy, light and heartwarming. Both of them were lovely people, so kind and polite. Never once had they tried to dig deeper when Baekhyun gave only harmless comments about his past life, respecting his distanced and reserved behavior. But at least they were interested - unlike Chanyeol. The man had only ever spoken the necessary with him, like “Hand me the coffee pot” or “Hand me the water”. He did not even say please or thank you most of the times. When Chanyeol spoke at their shared mealtimes, it was as if he only addressed his mother and brother, ignoring Baekhyun almost completely.

Baekhyun hated it. He was used to people disliking him, not agreeing with his decisions or even being intimidated by him. At the agency, there had been several who were hostile to him. It had been mostly because of Beom though. Lower ranked agents were not as well informed as the scientists, analysts and higher ranked agents Baekhyun had been working with. The only thing they saw and knew, was that strange things happened around Baekhyun, around the boy whose soft and pure appearance did not match the rank he had gotten at the agency.

They were envious and scared. Not a mix that did Baekhyun any good. Beom had to save him from numerous harassments at work, always causing more chaos when he used his telekinetic powers and Baekhyun could only try to do damage control, but without success. The lower ranked agents only hated and feared him more, thinking of him as a freak, a messed-up experiment that would ruin them all.

They were not completely wrong about that though, there had been several occasions when things with Beom and Baekhyun had escalated, when the both of them had been younger and scared, their unique power overwhelming them and everyone around. Baekhyun thought of the incident on their 13th birthday. They had been going through a little rebellious phase back then. The day had not ended with candles on a birthday cake and pretty gifts in his room. No, they had set the whole apartment and lab on fire.

After that, many things had changed. The agency had given them more freedom, not locking Baekhyun up like a lab rat anymore. They had started to train him professionally, sending him to learn things like hapkido, hacking computers, several languages, shooting a weapon – Baekhyun hated that part with all his heart.

Baekhyun had been a good student, always attentive and hard-working, most of his instructors speaking in high tones of him. But his fellow trainees were not that kind with him, most of them noticing that something about him was off and treating him either with ignorance or hostility. It had strengthened him, as well as weakened him, but in the end, Baekhyun had been able to learn a lot of things and be proud of himself, of him and his brother. Because, even if their special case caused many problematics, the both of them had each other and could always rely on that.

After he had reached the age of 21 though, a few things changed between them. Baekhyun had gotten announced an official special agent, the youngest in 30 years. He even got his own partner and cases to work on.

His partner was an ambitious man. A man with the young age of 26 and the name of Choi Minho, determinedly aiming to reach the top in the agency. The man had not been amazed when they put him together with Baekhyun, after hearing all the rumors and bad stories about the young absolvent.

Minho had behaved professional and calm, but Baekhyun still noticed the man’s distance and mistrust. While Baekhyun had always tried to better things between them, Beom had been hating the guy’s guts. It had been very hard for the three of them, but they still managed to solve their cases successfully. They were not very talkative, barely exchanged any personal info and Minho never asked about Baekhyun’s “secret power”.

Baekhyun had openly told him about Beom, more than once trying to explain, but the other had waved it off, saying that he did not want to know about it. Minho had been aware of the fact that he was somehow working with two people, even though only one was speaking and sitting next to him. He knew that Beom was there and every time his papers got disheveled, his coffee spilled over his expensive shirts or whenever his car keys disappeared, he knew that Baekhyun’s ghost of a brother was behind it all. But he never said anything, never once directly confronted Baekhyun, or Beom for that matter. It had confused but also impressed Baekhyun and had made Beom furious.

It was not until the day when Baekhyun and Beom saved Minho’s life, that the dynamics between them changed. Minho ended up in hospital, shot through the shoulder instead of the chest, like it would have ended if it was not for Beom influencing the bullet and Baekhyun shooting the attacker. Baekhyun got the shock of his life, never once having to shoot at a real person before, and to his luck, the attacker did not die of it. He could not have dealt with the consequences...

Baekhyun had been with Minho in the ambulance, waited close to the surgery room and Beom had been able to give him constant updates on Minho’s condition until they could be there for him when he woke up. It had been only the three of them in the hospital room back then, Baekhyun carefully holding his partner’s hand as the man’s eyes fluttered open in slight panic and confusion.

“Shh... it’s alright. You’re save now”, Baekhyun had eased him and Minho’s dark eyes had looked up at him, watering slightly as he realized what had happened.

“Thank you... Baekhyun... thank you... Beom”, Minho had rasped out with weak and raspy voice, but the brothers heard it.

From this day on, Minho started speaking to both of them, as if he was accepting to work with two partners who were trapped in one body. They got along so much better from then on, having developed unique dynamics for themselves. Beom still did not like Minho a lot, always saying that he was a complacent snob with an emotional growth of a stone. But Baekhyun knew that his brother was exaggerating, inwardly liking him as their partner. Everything had seemed peaceful between them, the work atmosphere around them turning into a familiar and comfortable one. But of course, something came up, something in the form of Minho asking Baekhyun out on a date...

Reminiscing about that time, Baekhyun was still wide awake in his bed, not having been able to sleep for over two hours now. It was, when he heard the wheels of a car, rolling up the driveway, that he jumped out of his bed. From his room, he had the best view onto the driveway, nervously hurrying to his window.

 _“Don’t worry. He’s alone”_ , Beom mumbled and Baekhyun relaxed slightly, secretly watching as Chanyeol locked the car and walked towards the house, losing sight of him as soon as the man arrived on the porch.

Baekhyun vaguely heard footsteps in the hallway and the shut of a door, so he went back to bed, pulling the blanket over his bare legs, wondering about Chanyeol’s date. Had it been bad or just not good enough for him to stay the night away? The man had mentioned earlier that he knew the person for two weeks, so they were only starting to get to know each other.

 _“Why does it bother you even?”_ Beom asked him then, shaking him out of his thoughts.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m wishing that it didn’t go well”, Baekhyun answered with a shrug.

 _“Oh wow, Byun Baekhyun not wishing someone the very best? How rare”_ , Beom teased.

“He is still behaving like a jerk towards me, I don’t like it”, Baekhyun explained with a pout.

 _“Are you angry, shall I let something happen to him?”_ Beom offered with complacent voice.

“No! No, of course not”, Baekhyun declined.

 _“Might be too late for that...”_ Beom murmured.

Next thing that Baekhyun heard was a loud curse and the bang of a door, followed by constant knocking on another one. He could easily make out what was said afterwards, with Baekhun’s room situated at the end of the hallway, a bathroom between his and Jongdae’s room which was right next to Chanyeol’s.

“Dae, Dae! Open up! Why are there dozens of spiders on my bed? The hell, my whole room looks messy! We’re not kids anymore, Dae!” Chanyeol called out, his voice barely muffled through the walls and the door that separated him from Baekhyun.

“Beom... what’ve you done?” Baekhyun hissed out through his teeth, jumping up from his bed and throwing a loose white shirt over his bare torso.

He put on socks as well, which reached almost up to his knees, leaving the rest of his legs bare, since he only wore short boxers.

 _“Only did what he deserved... Don’t worry, you won’t get charged for it”_ , Beom chirped nonchalantly.

“No, not me. But Jongdae. The poor guy was probably sleeping already and doesn’t know anything of it”, Baekhyun grumbled.

 _“No, he was not, he’s been playing PUBG for over an hour and then he started watching gaypor...”_ Beom replied but Baekhyun cut him off.

“Shut it, you’re unbelievable! Gosh... too much info”, he whined and walked to his door, carefully opening it in order to peek out.

There was a furious Chanyeol, hands on his hips, his tall and broad-shouldered figure blocking much of the hallway. He was still in his dress clothes, wearing a thin black turtleneck and dark pants, which seemed slightly too tight for his... well, crotch. Baekhyun tried not to stare at his lower region, instead noticing the way his comma hair was neatly styled and that he even wore a silver chain around his neck, glistening in the hallway’s lighting.

Chanyeol did not notice Baekhyun, too occupied with shooting daggers at a confused Jongdae, who was just coming out of his room, appearance much more casual and disheveled in comparison to his brother’s. Baekhyun chose not to think about it though, not that he was judging or anything, but... some things were a private matter.

“Chan, what is your damn problem? I didn’t do anything. Did you leave your window open maybe?” Jongdae replied in defense.

“My problem is, that my room was just fine when I left, now I came back and everything is a mess. And no, I definitely didn’t leave my window open”, Chanyeol snapped back at him.

Jongdae rolled his eyes at his brother, he hated it when the other was being overly dramatic.

“Would you keep it down? You’ll wake up the whole house. Poor Baekhyun wasn’t well at dinner, he was supposed to get some sleep and not listen to some giant baby’s whining”, Jongdae told him with hush voice, a faint blush appearing on Baekhyun’s cheeks.

He decided to become noticeable, avoiding further comments about his well- or not well-being. He cleared his throat and both brothers flinched slightly, looking at him. While Jongdae’s expression was worried and apologizing, Chanyeol’s gaze was indifferent, his eyes leisurely tracing over Baekhyun’s attire.

“Hey, Baekhyun-ssi... sorry for waking you”, Jongdae said and Baekhyun took a couple steps towards them.

“No worries, I wasn’t sleeping. Is there something I can help you with? Hyung, you seem to be upset...” Baekhyun offered sheepishly, turning to Chanyeol, not meeting his eyes though.

“Baekhyun, you really don’t need to...” Jongdae started, but the oldest interrupted him.

“What? Clean up the mess you made? I don’t think so either... but at least he’s offering.” Chanyeol’s voice almost sounded thankful, but maybe he was just imagining things.

Jongdae lifted his hands in defeat, probably just wanting to get this over with, no matter what he was being charged with.

“Let’s take a look at what I’ve done then...” the younger brother sighed and entered the room, Baekhyun shyly following them.

“Oh wow... oh my gosh... this is... this is a real mess, wow... Chanyeol, I never would’ve expected something like this... wow”, Jongdae exclaimed, voice dripping sarcasm and Baekhyun peeked past them, finding the room neatly organized.

Neither were there spiders on the bed, nor was there any other mess visible. Chanyeol walked further into his room, looking around, even under the bed, his face scrunched up in complete confusion.

“Well... I don’t know if this is either pure tiredness or a prank of yours. The room looks good, I can’t see a problem here. Can you, Baekhyun?” Jongdae asked, facing the younger.

Baekhyun shook his head.

 _“You’re welcome...”_ Beom mumbled.

“I don’t... I don’t understand. The spiders were there, and also the mess... I’m not lying!” Chanyeol insisted.

Jongdae walked up to him, softly patting his arm.

“Oh, my dear brother... was your date that bad, or too good, so you’re seeing things now? Why are you home anyways? We didn’t expect you to come...”

Chanyeol blinked several times, then shook his head, as if to clear his mind.

“What are you... No, no it’s not like that. I know what I saw”, Chanyeol said, not answering Jongdae’s questions properly, still too caught up in the prank that Beom played on him.

“Yeah... of course, Chan. Go to bed now, let it be”, Jongdae sighed and started to walk out the door, realizing that there was no sense in asking questions about his brother’s date.

Baekhyun was relieved, he really did not want to hear the answers, even though he was still kind of glad that Chanyeol did not stay the night away.

“G-good night...” Baekhyun mumbled and followed Jongdae outside, without another word from either of them.

They stopped in front of Jongdae’s room, the latter smiling at him.

“Sorry for that, I really don’t know what came over him...”

Baekhyun scratched his neck, keeping the hand there.

“No worries, really”, he mumbled.

“Alright then... good night, cutie”, Jongdae winked at him and went inside.

Baekhyun remained in the hallway, shortly glancing back at Chanyeol’s door before he went to his own room. There, he threw himself on the bed, nuzzling into the sheets, fisting the pillow angrily.

“Was that really necessary? You made him appear like some lunatic...” Baekhyun grumbled, speaking of Chanyeol.

 _“Oh, come on, it was hilarious. His face when he came back inside, you should’ve seen it. He was so sure of it, and then, shazam! Nothing there”_ , Beom laughed, not feeling guilty, typically.

“Okay... okay, alright. Maybe he deserved it a little bit, but still, it’s not okay to rummage through other people’s private stuff. Neither is putting spiders on a bed, that’s just disgusting and creepy”, Baekhyun huffed out in defense.

 _“I could’ve done worse. You should be relieved that I didn’t dump out his secret drawer”_ , Beom replied.

“I don’t even want to know what else you could’ve done. Just... don’t do anything like this again. Okay? Please?” Baekhyun begged in annoyance.

But Beom would not have any of it, teasing him further.

 _“Don’t you want to know what was inside? I’m sure it’d be in your interest”_ , he chirped.

“No! No, I don’t want to hear it, definitely not. Not happening. Understood? Now let me be...” Baekhyun whined and pulled a pillow over his head.

As if it would be any help to escape the little Satan inside of him...

 _“Okay, I’ll tell you...”_ Beom started and Baekhyun groaned.

This was going to be a very long night...


	5. Lotus Sheep

After a night with less sleep than intended, Baekhyun slumped out of his bed. His hair was cutely disheveled and his white shirt hung off his shoulder as he sneaked into the bathroom, hoping that he would not meet anybody on the way. He could already smell the breakfast, his stomach growling as he was opening the door.

There, was a wet and half-naked Jongdae, toothbrush inside of his mouth, his curls clutching to his glowing face.

“Oh my... I’m sorry, I should’ve knocked”, Baekhyun half-squealed and was about to leave the room when Jongdae called him inside.

“No, no. Don’t leave, I’m almost done”, he insisted, “Good morning, Baekhyun-ssi.”

“O-okay... good morning”, Baekhyun greeted him shyly, standing there, slightly uncomfortable.

“Naww... you really are the cutest”, Jongdae cooed and spit out some toothpaste, taking water afterwards, gurgling loudly and spitting again.

Jongdae turned and beamed at him as soon as he was done.

“I’ll go to Seogwipo today, fetch some groceries. Wanna tag along? Last time we’ve only been to one of the little shops. I could show you the big and fancier ones today”, Jongdae offered.

Baekhyun shortly thought about it. He was still very cautious about going where a lot of people were summoned. Lots of people meant more security or cameras... His agency was well-networked, he had seen them finding people in no time by using all of their sources. Baekhyun had Beom, who was able to prevent a lot due to his powers, but there were boundaries. He did not want to risk anything – it had been only twelve days since he had left Seoul on his birthday. It was too early.

“Thanks, but I’d rather stay here for today. I want to check on Rennie, he might have sprained an ankle when he fell into that puddle yesterday...” Baekhyun answered.

“Alright, there’ll be more opportunities in the future”, Jongdae said with unwavering smile, tilting his head to the side then, “Who’s Rennie?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. That’s how I named the lamb”, Baekhyun explained, biting his lip.

“Ahhh I see, no worries. It’s just not usual to name other animals but our dogs and horses here, but it’s cute”, Jongdae eased him, “Why Rennie though?”

“Uhm... he was trying to chew off a lotus plant once... and Ren means lotus in Japanese... I just figured it fit”, Baekhyun answered with a shrug.

Jongdae looked at him in amusement.

“You really are a special one, aren’t you? I wasn’t surprised when Ma told us that she’d like you to stay here. Ever since grannie doesn’t talk anymore, Ma has been quite alone with us. Seems like you’re the perfect wind of change for us”, he said and smiled at him.

Baekhyun felt warmth around his heart and smiled back at the other.

“Glad that I can be of help”, he replied and chuckled lowly.

\---

After Jongdae had left for the city, Baekhyun went to see the sheep. As he let them out on the paddock, Rennie remained behind in the stable, not even moving a leg.

“Baby-Ren... why don’t you go out to play? Does your ankle hurt that much? Let me see”, Baekhyun spoke softly and crouched down next to the little sheep.

He grabbed after the leg and lifted it up, carefully moving it back and forth. Rennie baaed uneasily and Baekhyun let go of it, patting the sheep’s side.

“Oh my, you little. It’s gonna be fine again soon”, he mumbled and stood up again.

He made sure that they had enough food and water before he went to the main house again, looking for Mrs. Park, but found nobody. As he left the house again, he almost bumped into Chanyeol who was now staring down at him, brows furrowed as usual.

“Shouldn’t you be out with Jongdae shopping unnecessary stuff?” He asked with a scoff.

“No, I wanted to stay and look after the little sheep. I believe its ankle is sprained. We should have someone look after it, a professional”, Baekhyun said with strong voice, his sharp chin raised up.

“Got attached or what?” Chanyeol replied, not commenting his demand.

“I... yes, I guess. So what, what do you care? You don’t want him to suffer, do you?” Baekhyun snapped at him, his soft voice sharper than usual, his patience on edge.

 _“Good boy, go on with it”_ , Beom told him, pleased with Baekhyun’s temper.

Baekhyun immediately felt bad about his tone, he did not want to behave like his brother suggested. Chanyeol only raised a brow at him, seemingly surprised about the smaller’s little outburst.

“Okay... I’ll make a call. Now go back to work, with Jongdae gone there’s plenty for you to do”, the older told him and walked past him, arm slightly bumping against Baekhyun’s.

Baekhyun wanted to thank him, but Chanyeol was already gone again and Baekhyun did as he was told.

 _“Why do you always weaken when you’re talking to him? Do you want to get on your knees in front of him so badly?”_ Beom grumbled as soon as they were alone with each other, Baekhyun cleaning up a stable.

“Ugh... why would you say such things? I don’t want anything from that man but his acceptance and respect”, Baekhyun pouted.

 _“Yeah of course. So, you haven’t dreamed of touching these guns of his? Don’t take me for a fool, I know you think he’s hot”_ , Beom taunted him and Baekhyun blushed again.

“I’m trying not to think of it. I don’t even why I noticed it in the first place... his pointy ears are a lot more eye-catching”, Baekhyun replied nonchalantly, making Beom laugh.

_“True. He’s Yoda 2.0.”_

They went silent after this, both caught up in their own thoughts until Baekhyun thought of something, rather someone else.

 _“So, you do miss him... Don’t worry, brother, Minho should be fine without you”_ , Beom tried to ease him, Baekhyun’s heart aching at that remark.

“He behaved similar to Chanyeol in the beginning. But later on,... he cared about me... about us, Beom. Don’t you miss him as well? I thought you had started accepting him in our life”, Baekhyun said with low voice, movements slowing down.

 _“I don’t miss that snob and I definitely haven’t started to accept him in our life”_ , Beom replied shortly, but Baekhyun knew it was not the whole truth.

 _“Can we not talk about him? We moved on, didn’t we? You don’t want to go back and I’m not making you... so why bother? He won’t go out and look for us now, will he?”_ Beom asked him then, clearly uneasy about the topic, which only confirmed Baekhyun’s thoughts.

“You’re right. Let’s clean that stable and then help Mrs. Park with lunch”, Baekhyun gave in and they remained in silence for the rest of the morning.

\---

Lunch without Jongdae was not as convivial as usual. Mrs. Park was not feeling too well today and Chanyeol was usually not very talkative, at least not with Baekhyun around. They finished and cleaned up without Mrs. Park, Chanyeol having insisted that she would go to bed and rest. Chanyeol left him alone with the dishwasher, bringing his grandma to bed for an after-lunch sleep. As he came back, he picked up his car keys and called after Baekhyun though.

“Let’s go.”

Baekhyun turned around in confusion, noticing that Chanyeol had changed into a pair of grey jeans and a white shirt.

“Go where?” Baekhyun asked.

 _“On a date of course”_ , Beom sassed.

Chanyeol went to the door, throwing a glance at Baekhyun.

“You wanted someone to look after that sheep, didn’t you? So come, what are you waiting for?” He asked, already heading out.

Baekhyun hurried after him in an instant, happy that they could help Rennie. So, he picked him up and then returned to Chanyeol, who had just guided a horse into one of the smaller horse trailers.

As they sat in the car, Chanyeol driving them away from the farm, Baekhyun secretly glanced at him. Chanyeol had his hair neatly combed to both of his sides, his bangs parted on his forehead. He was driving at regular speed with only one hand on the steering wheel.

“Why did we take the horse with us? Is it hurt as well?” Baekhyun asked.

“No, she’s not. I’m going to sell her today. I meant to do it by the end of the week, but with your sheep-issue, I preponed it to today”, Chanyeol answered, eyes focused on the road.

“So... the buyer is also a doctor? Or why can he help Rennie?” Baekhyun asked in slight confusion.

“Rennie? You gave it a name?” Chanyeol asked with a little snort.

“I did. I named the other ones as well”, he answered, voice stable.

“Okay... And no, the buyer is a butcher”, Chanyeol said, answering Baekhyun’s previous question.

“A b-butcher? What??? No! Stop the car! Rennie can’t get slaughtered just because of a sprained ankle. He’s only a baby!!” Baekhyun exclaimed, face twisted in pure horror.

A little smirk appeared on Chanyeol’s lips.

“Calm down, shorty. I’m just kidding. Yixing is a former med student and actually a huge fan of sheep. He won’t harm your woolly friend. You might need to watch out that he won’t keep the little guy though – he really likes pets”, Chanyeol replied, relishing in his sadistic humor.

“...That was not funny... not at all. How can you joke about such things? He’s only a baby”, Baekhyun repeated, completely taken aback.

“Oh shorty... you need to relax. I didn’t mean it. I’d never hurt that sheep. I witnessed his birth and took care of him ever since, not only Ma and Jongdae”, Chanyeol told him and Baekhyun relaxed again.

He was again surprised by the man’s softer side, almost feeling guilty of his little outburst.

“...Still, not funny. Please don’t scare me like this again. And also, stop calling me shorty”, Baekhyun said with a pout and Chanyeol smiled.

“As you wish, puppy...” The older said and Baekhyun’s cheeks turned red, so he decided to look away, without arguing.

The drive was short, merely ten minutes until they arrived at a big stud, or rather a riding school as Baekhyun noticed on second glance. The buildings were in a good shape and the stables, as well as the training areas and lunging rings looked new and professional.

They had driven past a few paddocks as well, now halting on a little parking lot close to what looked like the main house.

“Wow, this is quite big here. I didn’t expect that, so far from the city”, Baekhyun commented, looking around curiously as they got out of the car.

Chanyeol walked around the horse trailer and opened the door, granting the animals with more fresh air.

“Yeah, it’s the biggest stud on this part of the island. They also raise cattle, get money from that for the time when there is winter and only a hand full of riding students. Overall, they get by pretty well”, Chanyeol said with a shrug.

“I see... and you raise the horses for them? So, you’re business partners?” Baekhyun reasoned.

“You could say so, yeah. We’ve been to school with the two owners. They went away to study and came back to open up the stud and all. Seems like it works out fine, barely heard them complain or worry. Different from us, I guess”, Chanyeol said and there was a hint of bitterness in his deep, velvet voice.

“That’s impressive... something this big, even though they’re so young. You’re all impressive people, I admire your life’s work, I really do”, Baekhyun said and looked at Chanyeol with honest and pure eyes.

“Thanks...” Chanyeol said and scratched his neck, seemingly uncomfortable.

A clump of hooves broke their awkward silence and they looked to their right, a group of about fifteen riders appearing from the bridle path, right next to the biggest paddock. There were two male adult riders among a group of students, seemingly coming back from a ride. One of the men, the one who had ridden ahead, spotted them, halting right next to them.

“Donghae, get back to the stables with them and unmount, I’ll join you for the aftercare. I just want to greet Chanyeol first”, the man called out to the other one.

The other nodded and lead the group to the stables, shortly glancing at Chanyeol and Baekhyun before he was around the corner and out of sight.

“Yixing, I’m sorry, I thought you’d be back from the ride already and finished with class”, Chanyeol addressed the man who was unmounting next to them.

His horse was quite tall for a Jeju horse, the coat of its fur cream-colored with sorrel hair. The rider, who had just taken off his helmet - revealing dark brown hair, some strains wet due to the sweat – was a bit shorter than Chanyeol and not as broad-shouldered. His figure was well-built though, the tight riding clothes underlining his fit body. His face was long and thin, his mouth full and his eyes were warm and curious, the double eyelids making him look fresh and young.

“Took longer than expected, we couldn’t have known. I hope I haven’t kept you waiting”, Yixing said in slight worry and greeted Chanyeol with a short embrace, patting his back.

“No, we just arrived”, Chanyeol eased him, hands in his pockets now.

“We... right, you didn’t come alone. I’m sorry, how impolite”, Yixing said and looked at Baekhyun, bowing to him, “I’m Zhang Yixing, nice to meet you. Baekhyun, right?” He smiled at Baekhyun, a dimple showing on his right cheek.

“Yes, that’s me. Chanyeol told you, I suppose?” Baekhyun replied.

“No, no. Actually, Jongdae did first. You’re the new seasonal help for the summer?” Yixing asked and tilted his head to the side.

“More like a stray puppy that my mother took in...” Chanyeol scoffed lowly and Yixing raised an amused brow at the taller.

A little window of the horse-trailer burst open in that moment, hitting the back of Chanyeol’s head.

“Oh, what the...?” He exclaimed in slight pain and confusion, rubbing his head and looking at the window.

Baekhyun heard Beom chuckling...

“Seems like you haven’t closed it properly. Or someone wants out already, hmm let me see... My hello, you are indeed a pretty one!” Yixing said and stepped closer to the trailer, looking at the horse inside.

After Chanyeol had stopped glaring at the window, still wondering how it had been possible to hit him that hard, he stepped next to Yixing, helping to get the horse out.

“She’s the one I told you about. We named her Neige, because of the white spots around her neck – she's a true Mokhani. Her stamina is very good. She can’t bear foals though, otherwise we would have kept her for breeding purposes”, Chanyeol told him, stroking over the mare’s mane, soothing her.

“She’s beautiful. Wow, Chanyeol, what an art piece... Donghae would like to test her later, see how she runs, but I think we can finish that deal today. She’ll find a good home here, I promise”, Yixing said and patted the horse’s neck.

Chanyeol smiled proudly, seemingly relieved that his offer was to the young man’s liking.

“Great, shall we bring her to the lunging ring?” Chanyeol asked.

Yixing nodded.

“Same procedure as every time, Chan”, he answered with a wink.

“Wait... what about Rennie?” Baekhyun asked, opening the other door of the trailer to reveal the little sheep.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I almost forgot about it”, Yixing said and looked at it, seeing the limping as Baekhyun guided Rennie out.

“Hmm... that doesn’t look too good. I’m gonna check on him later, ok? I gotta dismiss the students first - Donghae doesn’t like saying goodbye to all his fangirls and boys”, Yixing said with a chuckle and hurried away again.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun stood there for a moment, watching the man walk away until Rennie baaed lowly and they got shaken out of their thoughts. Chanyeol took a hold of Neige’s harness and Baekhyun carried Rennie to the ring, setting him down carefully and stroking over his woolly body.

He sat next to the fence, legs crossed and the sleeves of his buttoned down rolled up. Chanyeol was seated on the fence, watching Neige as she was leisurely walking around in the ring. Chanyeol cleared his throat as if he wanted to say something, but remained silent afterwards and Baekhyun took the chance.

“So, Yixing... He seems nice. Have you been friends already, back in school?” Baekhyun asked with interest, Chanyeol giving him a short side glance.

“Kind of. First it was just his cousin Donghae in my class, but Yixing moved here from China for the last two years of school, lived with him and his grandparents then. He got together with Jongdae shortly after, so yeah, he’s been around often, thus Donghae as well”, Chanyeol answered with a shrug.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yixing-hyung and Jongdae were a couple? Why did they break up?” He asked.

“Yixing left the island again in order to study medicine in Beijing. They knew that a long-distance relationship didn’t make any sense”, Chanyeol answered, his gaze fixed on Neige.

“Oh... that must’ve been quite hard for them. Why aren’t they back together now?” Baekhyun continued asking.

“Quite nosy, aren’t you? How come you want to know all that when we don’t even know anything about you but your name and hometown?” Chanyeol countered, turning around to look at Baekhyun instead, one brow raised.

Baekhyun’s cheeks turned red, realizing that Chanyeol was right. He had no right to answer such personal questions when he did not give anything in return – but he just could not bring himself up to it, so he kept silent. Chanyeol waited for a few seconds but turned away again when he noticed that Baekhyun would not say anything.

“Lucky for you that I’m more interested in spilling my annoying brother’s relationship-stories than hearing anything about you...” Chanyeol said with a low scoff.

The comment stung, catching Baekhyun off-guard. Right, why should the man, who somehow despised him, be interested in anything of Baekhyun’s past? All that the older seemed to want, was for Baekhyun to vanish as fast as he had appeared in his life.

 _“That fucker... I’m gonna throw him off that fence...”_ Beom grumbled.

“No, please don’t!” Baekhyun called out and Chanyeol turned around in confusion and surprise.

“What is it now? I thought you wanted to know about them”, he asked.

“N-nothing... please continue”, Baekhyun mumbled and stood up, moving closer so that he was not faced with the elder's back.

“So... where was I? Oh right, Yixing and Jongdae. Well, they didn’t click again. Both had been in other relationships during their time apart, nothing too serious, but still more than just high-school-romances... so they just agreed on being friends in the end”, Chanyeol explained with nonchalant voice, making it sound so easy and unimportant.

Baekhyun was sure that there had been more drama about it than Chanyeol was willing to admit, but Baekhyun did not dig.

“I know that they’re still having sex from time to time. Mostly when we go party and neither of them finds someone better to go home with. The mornings after are quite amusing. Jongdae always sneaks Yixing out cause he doesn’t want our mother to find out”, Chanyeol added with a little chuckle and Baekhyun almost coughed on his spit.

Chanyeol made it sound as if it was nothing special – which could be right in this case, but for Baekhyun, intercourse was a complicated terrain. Very, very complicated. That was why he always avoided talking about the topic, both with other people as well as with himself – and Beom of course. It felt strange to think about or even do such things when you had a second consciousness in your mind; a completely different person who was trapped in the same body.

“So... they’re still single at the moment?” Baekhyun felt like asking.

Chanyeol nodded.

“My mother used to say that they’re both waiting for each other, as if they were still apart and trying to get back to each other again, even though the physical distance isn’t there anymore.”

Baekhyun thought about his words for a moment, somehow thinking that it sounded comprehensible.

“And what do you think?” Baekhyun asked then, somehow sensing that Chanyeol knew it better than his more romantic and optimistic mother.

“I think of it as the way it is. They were careless juveniles in love back then. Life barged in, future evolved, careers were being formed or not... they grew into different directions and with distance and time, there came reality. Jongdae is still that nice, angelic and charismatic nerd, only some years older and Yixing is a fine grownup, a doctor and a charmer. They don’t have rose-colored glasses anymore. They are friends, business partners and they wrestle the sheets together from time to time – that's all there is today”, Chanyeol answered.

Baekhyun looked at him, not able to reply anything. The man’s realism and slight cynicism was all but easy to endure in moments like these and Baekhyun did not know whether he should dislike him for it or pity him. Chanyeol noticed Baekhyun’s eyes on him and turned to him, expression unreadable.

“What is it? Have I said anything wrong?” Chanyeol asked.

“No... I just shouldn’t have asked you about it”, Baekhyun grumbled and climbed over the wooden fence, walking to Neige.

He would rather talk to a horse than this jerk.

\---

Yixing met up with them again, about twenty minutes later, his cousin Donghae with him. He inspected the sheep first, leaving the horse for Donghae to look at. Baekhyun was kneeling next to Rennie, keeping him still while Yixing checked on and vet his sprained ankle, the procedure very professional.

Baekhyun’s eyes wandered over to Neige and the two men next to her, while Yixing was putting a stinky ointment onto the sheep’s injury. Chanyeol and Donghae stood there without talking much, a respectable distance between them. He wondered why they seemed rather cold around each other. He was so lost in thought, that he did not realize that Yixing was talking to him.

“Uh excuse me, what did you say?” Baekhyun asked with a blush.

Yixing chuckled, dimple prominent on his cheek.

“Could you help me wrap the bandage around his ankle, please?” The chinese man repeated.

“Of course, sure. There we go...” Baekhyun replied and helped him, Rennie starting to get twitchy.

“Have you been wondering about them?” Yixing asked then, nodding over at Chanyeol and Donghae.

“Yeah... I thought they are friends as well, but it doesn’t seem much like it now”, Baekhyun answered.

“You came across one of the big mysteries there. I don’t know what exactly happened between them, it must be years back now, but whatever it was, they haven’t been the same like back in high-school... they were almost inseparable. Best buddies, bros for lifetime”, Yixing told him with a sigh.

“But... you’re guessing something, right?” Baekhyun probed.

“I think they fought over a boy. I don’t want to spread any false information though, so...” Yixing answered.

“Of course, I understand. I won’t tell anyone. Promised”, Baekhyun assured him and Yixing smiled again.

“So, Rennie should be fine for now, but I’ll come by soon and check on him”, Yixing announced and stood up, Baekhyun following.

“Thank you, Yixing-hyung", Baekhyun said and bowed to him.

Donghae had listened to their last words and walked over to his cousin now, eyes on Baekhyun when he put an arm around the chinese man’s shoulders.

“Don’t thank him for that, he only wants to come over for a booty call with Jongdae-ssi. Am I right, Xingxing?” The man teased him and Yixing slightly pushed him away.

“Stop it, my gosh... Where are your manners?” Yixing groaned, glaring at him, ears slightly red and Baekhyun had to hold back a laughter.

Yixing threw an apologizing glance at Baekhyun and then Chanyeol, who just shrugged, not impressed by the comment.

“Uhm... well, I’ll go prepare the papers. Chanyeol, you comin’?” Yixing asked then, trying to escape the embarrassing moment. “Donghae, will you show Baekhyun around please? We’ll be back soon”, he added and looked back at his cousin.

“I’ll gladly do so”, Donghae answered with a smile, looking Baekhyun up and down which made the younger blush prettily.

“Be nice”, Yixing reminded him, a little glare attached.

“Always, Xing”, Donghae said with a wink and put his hand on Baekhyun’s elbow, softly guiding him away to start his little tour.

Baekhyun looked back over his shoulder, eyes shortly meeting Chanyeol’s, whose expression was unreadable, but Baekhyun noticed that his hands were clenched into fists. Before he was able to think about it though, Donghae had led him away from the lunging ring, already telling him about their riding school.

Baekhyun listened attentively, quite impressed by everything the man told him. Donghae was an interesting man, an interesting talker. Even though he spoke almost the whole time during their little tour, he did not use many words for it. His stories were short and precise, his explanations concise and the humorous comments in between were fitting and earned a few pretty smiles from Baekhyun. All in all, Baekhyun felt comfortable around him. They were just passing the cattle’s stables when Baekhyun’s gaze fell onto a painted shed, lips turning into a smile.

“Did kids draw this? This is lovely”, Baekhyun said and walked closer, Donghae following him, halting in front of it.

“Yes. It emerged from a project that Yixing organized last year. We welcomed a group of children with physical and mental disabilities here and they drew this on their last day”, he answered.

“Wow, that’s a great thing you did there. Are you planning on doing this again?” Baekhyun wanted to know, expression filled with admiration.

Donghae’s hand reached out to trace over one of the drawn horses, his thin lips curling into a fond smile. Then he stroked back his slightly longer hair, looking at Baekhyun.

“We are, but it’s not that easy, there are a lot of things to think of and organize beforehand. Maybe next year again”, he answered, his plucked eyebrows slightly raising. “Why are you asking? Would you like to help?”

Baekhyun shrugged.

“I don’t think I’ll stay here long enough. I’m only a help for the summer, I guess I need to move on after that”, he answered.

“Where to? I remember Chanyeol telling Yixing that you are travelling around without a goal. Why not stay longer then?” Donghae wanted to know.

Baekhyun clenched his teeth upon the thought of what else Chanyeol might have spoken about him, he was almost sure that it had not been the nicest of words. But either Donghae did not know all of it, or he simply did not care. Baekhyun could see nothing but interest in the man’s eyes, no antipathy or confusion whatsoever – unlike what he could see on Chanyeol’s face whenever talking to him.

“I don’t want to be a burden for the Parks. I think I’m already straining enough nerves just by staying for the summer without being an experienced farm help”, Baekhyun answered simply.

Donghae chuckled at that, a huff following and Baekhyun looked at him in confusion.

“Mrs. Park is an angel, just like Jongdae, and grandmother Minjee can’t talk any longer – so it must be Chanyeol who’s giving you a hard time. What’ve you done to get onto his bad side? Not that there is a lot you gotta do wrong to end up there, but still, I’m curious”, Donghae wanted to know, crossing his muscular arms in front of his body.

“I... I don’t know. He didn’t like me the moment I appeared on his doorstep I guess”, Baekhyun shrugged, chewing on his lip.

“Are you being serious? You can’t be... You seem so kind and sympathetic, and if I recall correctly, you’re exactly Chanyeol’s type in the looks-department. I don’t get why he didn’t jump you in an instant”, Donghae said, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips.

The comment caught Baekhyun off guard and his eyes widened, mouth opening to reply something, but even the thought of Chanyeol making a move on him, had him blushing madly. It did not go unnoticed by Donghae though and the man’s curiousness grew even more.

“Oh my, is it that? He tried to bed you? Was it that bad or did you just reject him instantly?” He asked with raised brows, lips curled in amusement.

Shock went through Baekhyun’s body.

“No, no! Of course not, neither of it!” He called out, louder than necessary. “He just... doesn’t like me. That’s all there is”, he added, voice normal again.

Donghae looked at him, still calculating whether Baekhyun was speaking the truth. But then he made a step forward, cupping Baekhyun’s chin and raising it up, eyes meeting as he asked his next question.

“Good... So then, you wanna go out with me?”

\---

 _“Baekhyun? Are you even listening to me? I don’t like that guy! Why would you say yes to going out with him? You just met him! He seems to be a total flirt, he won’t even take you seriously. I’d rather let you go out with Chanyeol even! Baekhyun, stop ignoring me!”_ Beom yelled inside of his head.

His lamenting had been going on for the whole ride, ever since they left the cousins’ riding school. Baekhyun had not spoken anything with Chanyeol either, so it was mostly Beom’s never ending complains, hearable for Baekhyun as if his brother sat right behind them in the car.

He clenched his hands into fists, nails digging into his sensitive palms. His brother gave him a hard time and Baekhyun was this close to shout at him. But he could not. Chanyeol was there and he also thought that there should not be a reason to discuss his life choices with Beom. He just sat there, overthinking everything and slowly getting a bad conscience.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol asked then, his deep voice catching Baekhyun off guard.

He threw a hesitant glance at the man, noticing his eyes on him, something like concern visible in them. Baekhyun turned to the side, looking out of the window.

“I’m fine”, he just answered, voice neutral.

Silence.

They reached the Parks’ farm then, Chanyeol stopping the car but without the intentions of getting out. Baekhyun remained on his seat, waiting for the other’s action.

“Did... did Donghae say anything to you?” Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun turned to look at him, brows furrowed in irritation.

Chanyeol seemed tense, his hands still on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular before they met Baekhyun’s.

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asked, voice low.

“Did he say anything about... me?” Chanyeol specified, sounding strangely vulnerable.

“No, not a word”, Baekhyun answered, even though that was not completely true.

Chanyeol let out a relieved sigh and Baekhyun again wondered what happened between the two of them.

 _“Tell him about the date”_ , Beom said, his voice strangely happy all of a sudden.

Baekhyun pondered, not sure why Beom urged him to it. Chanyeol was starting to get out when Baekhyun spoke up again, his voice high pitched.

“He asked me out though...”

Chanyeol halted in his movement, hands gripping onto the door, face without any expression.

“What did you answer?” The man asked.

“I said yes”, Baekhyun replied truthfully.

Chanyeol suddenly threw the door close with a loud bang, stomping away to the house after and leaving Baekhyun with his mouth wide open.

“What just happened?” He asked no one in particular.

 _“That, my dear brother, was the reaction of a jealous man...”_ Beom sneered, completely satisfied with the whole situation.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Beom. Chanyeol doesn’t like me. He’s probably just angry that two people he dislikes, get along well with each other”, Baekhyun replied, blowing some strains of his hair out of his face.

 _“Yeah, of course. That must be it”_ , Beom said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Damn... why did I even listen to you? I should’ve just kept it to myself. Admit it, you wanted him angry”, Baekhyun groaned, kicking a stone out of his way.

 _“I’ll only admit that once you say that you also wanted him to know. Your reasons might be different from mine, but still, you also wanted to see his reaction”_ , Beom challenged him.

“That’s not true. Stop it”, Baekhyun huffed and got Rennie out of the trailer, guiding him back to his stable, before he went back to the main house.

“I’ll go inside now and have dinner with the Parks. I don’t want to hear any other word about that whole thing from you. Got it?”

Baekhyun was not accustomed to use that commanding voice with Beom, but he was so annoyed right now, he just wanted to be left alone. All this drama was causing him headaches.

 _“You take things way too personally, Baekhyun... but okay, I’ll shut up about it. Can’t promise the same for everyone else though”_ , Beom sighed and Baekhyun went in.

As soon as he was inside, Jongdae ran up to him, tugging on his arm.

“If I’d have known I’d miss all the drama once I go shopping... Awaaeee, Baekhyunnie, I should’ve come with you”, he whined, Baekhyun blinking in confusion.

“Chanyeol looks so pissed right now. What happened?” Jongdae added.

“I don’t really know myself... It seems like he and Donghae have some issue with each other and... I just told Chanyeol that Donghae-hyung asked me out and he just snapped...” Baekhyun stammered.

Jongdae’s brows rose up in surprise.

“Oh dear... you stirred up a hornet’s nest there”, Jongdae said and threw an arm over the younger’s shoulders.

“But... I don’t understand”, Baekhyun mumbled.

“Come on, let’s talk in my room until dinner’s ready”, the curly haired boy said and led him away.

“What about your mother? I wanted to help her with dinner”, Baekhyun argued, but Jongdae waved it off.

“No worries. I brought some take out. She only needs to heat it up.”

 _“That guy is so energetic, so adorable”_ , Beom chirped and Baekhyun smiled fondly.

They sat down on Jongdae’s well-made bed, Jongdae putting a pillow onto his legs and hugging it close as if it was story time.

“So, Donghae asked you out and you said yes, I believe?”

Baekhyun nodded. Jongdae looked at him expectantly, but that was all he got, so he dug deeper.

“I wouldn’t have guessed you are into guys like him. Was he that charming?”

Baekhyun tilted his head, somehow overwhelmed by the direction of that conversation. Never before did he have such a conversation with anyone, especially not with Beom.

“I... I’m not into any guy, him included. He was just... nice to me and it felt good. I didn’t think it through, maybe I should just cancel the whole...” Baekhyun started but Jongdae interrupted.

“No no no, don’t get confused because of me. Donghae is a great guy, really. He just enjoys going out with pretty guys, that’s all. But if you’re fine with that and don’t expect any serious things from him – meaningless sex can be quite entertaining”, Jongdae smirked and Baekhyun covered his face.

“Oh my god... that’s literally not what I was aiming for...” He whined, the topic making him blush down to his toes.

“I’m sorry, Baekhyun-ssi. I misunderstood again, right? Was I too shameless? Phew, where are my manners? You probably don’t want to talk about sex with an almost stranger like me. I’m truly sorry”, Jongdae apologized, hitting his forehead.

“No, please... I’m just not used to talking about such things in general. I really want us to be friends, Jongdae-hyung", Baekhyun said and put a hand on Jongdae’s.

The other smiled at that, but then his expression got serious.

“Okay, first of all, please don’t call me hyung... it makes me sound so old, even though we’re just like what, one year apart?”

Baekhyun nodded.

“Secondly, I want to be friends with you as well. From now on, we can work on that properly, since we’re on the same page. And thirdly, why are you not used to talk about naughty stuff? Haven’t you had any awesome friends like me back in Seoul? I thought such a big city would be full of amazing and exciting people to befriend”, Jongdae stated and then asked him these questions.

He was happy that the other was so very friendly towards him, but of course, being friends came with trust and insights on your life. Baekhyun had difficulties with sharing information about himself. That was why he tried avoiding the details.

“I’m sure there are many, for me it was just... I worked a lot. I couldn’t go out often, and if I had time, I mostly spent it on my own, reading or binge-watching some series. I know it sounds boring, but, I’m here now, I left all that behind”, Baekhyun told him, smiling softly.

Jongdae had listened attentively, nodding barely visibly.

“I see... Well then, consider yourself lucky to have knocked on my door. I’ll show you how great life can be apart from working hard. Cause both is possible. You will miss some hours of sleep, but you can live with that, right?” Jongdae asked with a grin.

Baekhyun was almost sure that more questions lingered behind that curious face of Jongdae, but either he had sensed that Baekhyun was being secretive or he would just ask them sometime later. For now, they were being called out for dinner, both shuffling to their feet and joining the rest of the family for dinner.

Chanyeol did not say a word. He kept on staring at his food, brows furrowed and mouth a thin line, only opening to let food inside. Everyone noticed, but was smart enough to let him be. Jongdae on the other hand, was chatting non-stop. He had so much energy and his little stories were so funny, it had Baekhyun’s stomach filled with warmth and happiness – not only because of the amazing food.

“Dae, I gotta ask, where did you get this food from? It’s amazing... never had such tasty Jajangmyeon”, Baekhyun sighed dreamily.

Jongdae chuckled at that.

“I knew you’d ask that, everyone does. It’s from a restaurant in the east of Seogwipo. An extra of thirty minutes drive, but it’s always worth it. Friends of ours opened it, it’s one of the best addresses away from the center and I often visit them”, he explained proudly.

“Wow, an own restaurant... I always wondered what it’d be like. Can you take me with you next time?” Baekhyun asked with big eyes.

“Of course. You’ll like it there”, Jongdae answered, “They learned the good cooking from mum, right?” he added with a grin.

Mrs. Park waved it off.

“Not completely. I must say that the boys have spent much time here, but that special extra, which you need for a restaurant, that came solely from them. These little cooking geniuses”, she said fondly.

“You’re all such impressive people... own horse farm, own riding school and now a restaurant. Back in Seoul, I only knew people who worked for other people, who worked for bigger bosses and these worked for the biggest bosses... so much hierarchy and such little space for the individual”, Baekhyun told them, a bitter smile on his lips.

Silence was between them for a few seconds, the others silently agreeing with Baekhyun’s statement, until a scoff from Chanyeol was heard, gazes turning to him. The man’s eyes were on Baekhyun, a fire burning behind them, and not one of the good ones.

“You still believe that this here is some fairytale place, huh? Do you even know how much everyone worked their asses off to build a life here? How much we sacrificed and how close we came to financial ruin?” Chanyeol spit out, Baekhyun twitching in surprise.

“O-of course! I mean, I haven’t experienced it with you or particularly asked about it, b-but I can imagine well how hard it was to get here, how it still is... that’s what I was trying to say here. Why I admire you all so much”, Baekhyun explained, trying to get through the other’s pighead.

But Chanyeol’s anger didn’t seem to subside.

“Oh yeah? And that’s also why you chose to go out with the wealthiest of all? With the one who didn’t do close to anything in order to end up where he is now?” Chanyeol asked, taunting him.

“Wait, is this all about Donghae asking him out? What’s your problem, Chan? I’m sure Baekhyunnie was just flattered, he didn’t pick him out or anything. And he definitely didn’t say yes because of Donghae’s wealth, which is, if I may add, not as much as Yixing is earning and you should know that!” Jongdae jumped in, not agreeing with Chanyeol’s offences.

“Yeah, but Yixing worked very hard for all that. He went abroad, studied medicine and came back, pulled this all up out of nothing. And what did Donghae do? He went away from the island too, but not to study but to sleep himself through the whole university and then? Then he broke it all up after hearing about Yixing’s plans, after half of the work was already done. He’s a cadger and everyone’s too whipped because of his good looks and charm in order to see the truth”, Chanyeol spit back.

“Chanyeol, please don’t raise your voice like that. I know there’s no love lost between you and Donghae anymore, but he’s not a cadger. Yixing might have built up their foundation, but after Donghae moved back here, he also worked very hard”, Mrs Park intermediated, her hand softly on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“Mum’s right, Chan. Donghae is not as bad as you’re accusing him to be. You should let it go”, Jongdae said.

“Can’t you see the obvious?” Chanyeol asked and jumped up from his seat, “Donghae only asked him out to get on my nerves. What would he want from Baekhyun other than that?”

It hurt. It hurt a lot. Chanyeol’s comment was like acid to all the happy feelings in Baekhyun’s stomach. Without realizing, Chanyeol had stomped onto one of Baekhyun’s biggest insecurities – being unwanted, undesired.

He looked down, shoulders slumped, eyes burning. Jongdae’s mouth opened in shock, closing again as he put a soothing hand on Baekhyun’s back, looking at his tiny figure in concern.

“Chanyeol! How can you speak such impolite words? You should apologize right now, else I gotta ask you to finish up your dinner elsewhere. I can’t have you standing there and offending our guest”, Mrs Park said, her voice neutral but with a hint of sharpness.

Before Chanyeol could reply anything though, Baekhyun had already stood up, bowing to them without meeting their eyes.

“Thank you for the dinner, but I’ll excuse myself to my room now... good night”, Baekhyun spoke with thin voice, hurrying away from them.

 _“I’m gonna kill that piece of... Baekhyunnie, Hyun, please don’t cry. That asshole didn’t mean it... please. I promise I’ll cut off his balls for that”_ , Beom spoke to him, voice concerned.

Baekhyun reached his room, closing the door and leaning against it, his dainty hands clenched into fists.

“I’m not crying... let him be, he was right after all...” Baekhyun mumbled and then walked to his bed, curling himself into a ball, right on top of it.

 _“No, he wasn’t. Please don’t shut yourself out again, Hyun! He was angry, he was jealous. He didn’t know what he was saying”_ , Beom insisted.

“Please... don’t take me for a fool. I know you’re just trying to lighten my mood. Please, leave me alone”, Baekhyun whispered, cuddling into the blanket.

Beom’s sigh was long and deep, but afterwards he was silent, letting Baekhyun sulk on his own. Somehow, it had turned into a habit ever since he got here and Beom did not like it at all. Even though he had been against running away at first, he had come to realize that, for Baekhyun, a different life would be the better option.

But with Chanyeol here, Baekhyun seemed to be suffering again and that was inacceptable. Beom wanted to protect his brother, but he also did not want to go against his wishes all the time. For now, all he could do, was wait until his brother was in higher moods again.

So, he chose to “spy” on the Park family in the meantime, zooming out of Baekhyun’s room and back into the kitchen with ease.

Beom was merely a whisper in the air, bound to Baekhyun’s body, but he could move away up to fifty meters – they had tested it all back in the agency’s labs. The fact that he was linked to Baekhyun spiritually, did not give him lots of freedoms but he made use of what he had – with the help of telekinesis for example, he could move smaller objects without needing Baekhyun’s hands to do it.

When they were in public, he tried to refrain that power though, people always got suspicious when objects moved without being touched. Which did not mean he did not use it as a tool to pull little pranks on people every now and then.

Beom as an entity, could not be detected by normal humans. All they could accomplish was to sense or guess his presence, mostly through the things he did or due to the way he reacted in special cases. No one but Baekhyun was able to talk with him directly and the only other beings that immediately knew about his presence were other entities or animals. Animals listened to him, subordinating due to the fact of his supernatural powers. These also included the ability to shield or heal Baekhyun physically. It was very limited though, due to the lack of practice. The scientists back in the agency, had wanted to test it, but Beom did not let them. He did not want to endanger Baekhyun’s health, only by testing worst case scenarios. He was still very glad about this decision, even if they sent Baekhyun “out on the field” in the end, but it was still better for him than being locked up and used like some lab rat.

That was how he found himself back at the dining table, the others still seated, even though Chanyeol looked on edge. But Jongdae was also not too comfortable on his seat, staring to where Baekhyun had just walked off before glaring back at Chanyeol.

“Well done, Park Doofus. He didn’t do anything to you. Baekhyun is so kind, so cute and considerate. How could you be so mean? He’s been nothing but polite and helpful ever since he got here. I know you’re a rough character from time to time, but you’ll scare him away with that. I really like him, and he likes us... Please don’t make him leave us already”, Jongdae begged him, true affection in his eyes while talking about Baekhyun.

Chanyeol just looked at his younger brother, chest heaving up and down.

“Jongdae is right, my son. Baekhyun is a lovely person and a hardworking young man. You shouldn’t treat him this way”, Mrs Park added.

Beom was glad that at least these two were nice to Baekhyun, they seemed as if they really cared.

“How come you two are telling me what to do? I’m a grown-up man, I don’t need that scolding”, Chanyeol just replied, angrily but with a hint of understanding.

“Chanyeol, I’m sorry, but right now you’re acting kinda childish”, Jongdae said and rolled his eyes at him.

Chanyeol fought with his pride, Beom could see it and the other two as well.

“Damn it... I hate it when you’re right...” Chanyeol sighed, looking at Jongdae, “I’ll finish up and then I’ll go and apologize”, he added, Mrs Park and Jongdae exchanging a successful glance.

Beom was also satisfied and went back to Baekhyun. The Yoda-eared giant might have been cruel, but at least he was comprehensible this time – which did not mean Beom would not revenge his brother’s honor later on... but for now, he would wait for Chanyeol’s apology.

Baekhyun was still in his clothes from the day, only having thrown away his khaki pants because it was warm and he preferred being in t-shirt and underpants only. He was still sulking and overthinking his life choices, coming to the conclusion that he really needed a thicker skin. No matter how much he tried not to think about Chanyeol’s words, he always came back to feeling hurt all over.

Even though the man barely knew Baekhyun, even if he was judging without proper knowledge, his words had been more hurtful than all the badmouthing from Baekhyun’s former colleagues at the agency. He knew that the other junior agents, office workers and even some scientists had been scared by him and Beom, that they had felt uncomfortable due to his supernatural aura. Baekhyun had been used to spend his free time without any friends, secluded and lonely apart from Beom being there with him. Not even after he had gotten along better with Minho had they ever spent time away from the agency or missions.

Now that Baekhyun was here though, surrounded by new people who did not know anything about Beom or Baekhyun’s work, he did not want to feel like an outsider again. He was sick of that certain loneliness. He wanted to be carefree like Jongdae, he wanted to be strong like Chanyeol, he wanted to be generous like Mrs. Park but overall, he wanted to be himself.

A knock on the door shook him out of his thoughts. He slowly sat up, head tilted and wondering whether it was Jongdae, trying to console him.

“C-come in”, he croaked out.

To his surprise, it was not the familiar curly mob of hair peeking in - it was Chanyeol. Baekhyun remained on his bed, shoulders tensed and hands clenched into fists, preparing himself for another round of insults. Chanyeol’s face was strangely soft though and he walked in carefully, carrying something in his arms. Baekhyun hurried to switch on another lamp on his bedside table, feeling awkward for being alone with Chanyeol in a dimly lit room. As he turned to face him again, he noticed that Chanyeol had Rennie in his arms, wrapped inside of a thin blanket.

“Rennie!” Baekhyun gasped, a smile creeping onto his lips, reaching his eyes.

He remained on his bed though, not daring to get closer to Chanyeol who stood next to the wardrobe, his broad figure blocking one of the windows. Chanyeol noticed Baekhyun’s hesitance and took two steps forward, setting the baby sheep down on the bed, Rennie baaing lowly.

“I... I think he missed you, so I brought him here. I hope you won’t mind to keep him with you tonight”, Chanyeol spoke up, scratching his neck.

Baekhyun stared at him, still irritated about the man’s visit and that he brought Rennie with him. The sheep baaed again, wanting attention and Baekhyun pulled him onto his lap, stroking over his head and through the thin wool.

“I used to cuddle the lambs as well when I was... well, when I was younger. I figured, since you’re such a... caring person, you’d like it too. I mean, I can bring him back to the stable if you don’t want him here and...” Chanyeol continued babbling, Baekhyun cutting him off with calm voice.

“I don’t mind. Thanks for bringing him here, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol nodded slowly, avoiding Baekhyun’s curious, slightly amused gaze. The older looked around the room, putting his large hands inside the pockets of his jeans, continuing to just stand in the middle of the room.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked carefully and the man’s head snapped back at him.

“Hm?”

Their eyes were on each other, both hesitant and trying to make sense of the other’s behavior.

“Is there anything else?” Baekhyun wanted to know, his voice almost a whisper and his heart beating a bit too fast. Chanyeol roamed through his dark thick hair again, looking to the ground.

“I uhm... I wanted to apologize...I was in no right to say such things to you and... I didn’t mean them. I’m sorry if I hurt you or caused discomfort. I will do my best to... to keep myself under control”, Chanyeol stammered, his words coming out through pressed lips but sounding honest.

He looked at Baekhyun again, brows furrowed – this time in worry and not anger. Baekhyun had to chuckle, his laughter soft and lovely.

“What’s... what’s so funny?” Chanyeol asked, sounding pained with irritation.

“It’s just... you seem like this is your first time apologizing to someone”, Baekhyun explained.

The kicked-puppy-look on Chanyeol’s face vanished and anger boiled under the surface, his body tensing.

“That’s not...” He half-yelled but recollected himself again, breathing in deeply and Baekhyun raised a brow at him.

“You’ve got a point yeah... I’m not the best at this whole...” Chanyeol started, fighting with the words.

“Apology-thing?” Baekhyun suggested and Chanyeol nodded sheepishly, “Yeah... I figured that much. But, don’t worry, I didn’t expect an apology at all, so...” Baekhyun continued and now it was Chanyeol who looked a bit hurt.

“Don’t get me wrong, please. I’m not someone who holds grudges against people... especially not when they’re making efforts so... I accept it, your apology”, Baekhyun said with a warm smile, looking up at Chanyeol.

The latter sighed in relief, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

“Thank you, Baekhyun...”

Awkward silence came up between them after that and Baekhyun was not sure whether he liked Chanyeol’s presence or if it made him too uneasy. He was about to settle for liking it, when Chanyeol turned and walked towards the door, as if stung by an adder.

“Well then... I’ll let you go to sleep now. Have a good night... I hope Rennie won’t snore”, Chanyeol said and was halfway through the door already.

“I’ll bring him to you otherwise”, Baekhyun said and chuckled again, “G-good night, Chanyeol...”, he added and blinked at the older, his shyness having returned.

“Alright... I guess I would deserve that. Good night now...” Chanyeol replied, awkwardly remaining in the doorframe.

“Good night... sleep well”, Baekhyun repeated and pressed his lips together.

Chanyeol gave him one last look and then he went out completely, closing the door behind himself.

Baekhyun stared at the door, not quite believing what had happened.

 _“That was... unexpectedly sweet”_ , Beom said and Baekhyun could not quite decipher whether he was being truthful or sarcastic.

“Unexpected, yes. Sweet? I don’t even know if that’s the right word for it...” Baekhyun replied.

 _“Oh, come on, Baek. Don’t be such a hypocrite. He brought you the goddamn sheep. If that wasn’t dramatically cute, then I don’t know what is”_ , Beom argued.

Baekhyun looked down at Rennie, who was still cuddled up in the thin blanket that Chanyeol brought with, and smiled softly to himself. Beom was right. This had been quite the sweet gesture. He definitely did not expect such a thing from Chanyeol. But still, the guy seemed so unapproachable. Baekhyun did not know what he had to do in order to gain the older man’s trust. Would Chanyeol ever be comfortable around him?

With these questions lingering inside his head, Baekhyun lay back down on the bed, securing the little sheep close to his body.

“Good night, my little lotus sheep. Rest well”, Baekhyun whispered, pressing a soft kiss onto the sheep’s woolly head.

“Good night, Beom. Please behave and don’t snoop around tonight, okay?” Baekhyun mumbled, fatigue overtaking him.

 _“Tssk... boring”_ , Beom grumbled, but Baekhyun did not have the energy to care any longer.

He and Rennie were fast asleep, it had been quite the exhausting day for both of them after all.


	6. Bunny and Fox

After both Friday and Saturday had been filled with lots of work, Baekhyun was glad that Sunday would be less stressful. Not that he was complaining, he still enjoyed the hard work and occupation that came with it. It was not the work itself that left him whining himself to sleep, his body aching and mind reverberating with dizziness. No, it was the person who was pushing him to his limits, always coming up with yet another task or duty to fulfill. It was no one else but  Chanyeol who had somehow decided to keep Baekhyun as occupied as possible. 

The first few days of his stay, the man did not even want to talk to Baekhyun much less work alongside him. But now, after the dinner-incident, followed by  Chanyeol bringing Rennie over in order to apologize, he started to take full advantage of Baekhyun’s presence and inability to say no and turn down any given task. Beom had been furious at first, half-yelling at Baekhyun to grow some balls and decline  Chanyeol’s seemingly never-ending orders, but Baekhyun remained strong. He was firmly convinced that, once he had proven himself worthy to  Chanyeol , the latter would back off and finally accept his stay here. 

Beom was convinced of the opposite though, thinking that  Chanyeol was rather trying to chase Baekhyun off and that he found joy in torturing Baekhyun like this. However, Baekhyun believed in the good of  Chanyeol , even after the man made him wash the biggest tractor thrice, always finding yet another dirty spot...

If it had not been for  Jongdae , not being able to watch this tragedy for yet another day, Baekhyun would have spent his day rearranging the supplies in the barn. 

“No! No, Baekhyun. You won’t do that today, I’m intervening. You hear me,  Chanyeol ? He won’t do that for you. You’ve been playing the slave driver more than enough the past two days. I can’t stand and watch you doing it over and over again. Baekhyun has been working his pretty ass off and he’s not even getting any real payment for it. Gosh, give him a break!”  Jongdae yelled at his older brother after overhearing their conversation. 

He had pushed Baekhyun behind himself, as if to protect him from his evil older brother, the latter rolling his eyes at him. 

“You’re overreacting, seriously. Baekhyun is fine, can’t you see his glowing cheeks? All this work and fresh island air is good for a spoilt city boy like him. He wants to do that. He didn’t complain once”,  Chanyeol argued. 

Baekhyun’s cheeks reddened even more at that remark and  Jongdae threw his hands in the air. 

“Oh my god,  Chanyeol . Of course, he didn’t complain. He’s way too kind and polite in order to say how he really feels. But no wonder you wouldn’t know or care, you’re not the one who’s room is almost right next to Baekhyun’s - you can’t hear his puppy whines due to the body pain and exhaustion he’s clearly suffering from”,  Jongdae snapped back, Baekhyun flinching in shock.

“You heard that? I... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb or worry you...”, Baekhyun mumbled sheepishly. 

Jongdae turned around to him, holding onto his shoulders, rubbing up and down his arms in a soothing gesture. 

“Oh darling, the walls are quite thin, you know? But don’t you worry, I got my big bad brother off your back, he won’t force you into more Cinderella-work today”,  Jongdae spoke with soft voice, a little smile gracing his lips and Baekhyun felt touched by the other’s kindness and closeness. 

“Pff... Cinderella-work. Don’t be such a drama queen,  Dae ”,  Chanyeol huffed out behind his back and  Jongdae spun around quickly. 

He pointed his finger at  Chanyeol , dangerously close to his face, but the other did not even flinch. 

“You keep your mouth shut now. Baekhyun will stay by my side today.  Wonpil -ah and his boyfriend will come over today and I don’t want to see you anywhere near them.  Wonpil is a fragile precious being and you and your dark aura will scare him away. Plus, our  Baekkie needs a break from you as well, so why don’t you go someplace that is, hmm let me think, not here? Pretty please and thank you. Come on, Baekhyun, let’s go”,  Jongdae chirped and pulled Baekhyun along with him, leaving  Chanyeol gaping at his younger brother, unable to say another word against him.

Baekhyun stumbled after Jongdae, still perplexed by his little rant just now. 

“D- Dae ?”, he spoke up carefully. 

“What is it,  Baekkie ?”  Jongdae asked, his angelic face looking back at him, success and triumph sparking from his brown eyes. 

“Shouldn’t we have asked  Chanyeol to tag along...  i -instead of sending him away?” He asked. 

“No, I don’t think so.  Chanyeol is a difficult person. I love him, really, but sometimes it’s better to not have him around, trust me”,  Jongdae replied and Baekhyun stared at him with big round eyes.

Jongdae saw the doubt in Baekhyun’s face, so he stopped with a sigh. 

“Look, I  gotta tell you something about my friend  Wonpil . I don’t know whether you caught it when I was telling Mum about their visit, so I’m addressing it again. It’s nothing bad, it really isn’t, but  Wonpil -ah is a very special person. You know, he lives with Asperger... have you heard of that before?”  Jongdae started, looking at Baekhyun attentively. Baekhyun nodded. 

“Okay, good. Then you might know that it’s not as easy for him to master daily life like others normally do. Social interaction can be quite the challenge for him from time to time and he savors his precisely planned and structured daily routines – so  them visiting us today, is probably extra stressful for  Wonpil . My dear brother is not always the most sensitive person, so I’d rather not have him around, at least not today. Do you understand my worries?”  Jongdae asked and Baekhyun nodded again. 

“Alright, with that being said, let’s help Mum with lunch, shall we?” 

\---

When the doorbell rang,  Chanyeol really was not anywhere around. Beom told Baekhyun, that  he had driven off shortly after their conversation, having called some friend in the city, asking if he could come over. Baekhyun understood  Jongdae’s reasons, but he still felt a bit bad for  Chanyeol . 

_ “Stop feeling bad for him, I’m also glad that he’s gone for now...” _ Beom mumbled inside his head, a sigh escaping Baekhyun’s lips. 

He was currently in the kitchen, waiting for  Jongdae and their guests to join him there. Mrs. Park had gone out for a walk with her mother twenty minutes ago, wanting to give them some time alone with  Wonpil and his boyfriend for now. 

“ Wonpil -ah,  Younghyun-hyung ! Great to see you, please come inside”, he heard  Jongdae greeting them, his curiousness growing some more. 

“We’re 27 seconds early, I’m sorry  Jongdae ... I’m really sorry... I told him to wait a bit more, but he said he was hungry, so he just rang the bell... I know it’s not proper to arrive too early”, Baekhyun heard a soft and shy voice, guessing that it was  Wonpil . 

“No worries, please. Follow me to the kitchen, there’s enough food for all of us and my friend Baekhyun is eager to get to know you”,  Jongdae replied with his chirpy voice, leading them inside.

Jongdae and the  two young men stepped into the kitchen, the slightly taller one with orange hair looking around curiously. He wore a black and white striped buttoned down and ripped jeans, moving confidently and easily. The other walked right behind him, his steps more careful, his gaze fixed on the tiles to his feet. His hair was a warm brown and he wore a black hoodie, thin legs caressed by skinny jeans. 

Baekhyun did not miss the pair of bunny ears on his head though, one sticking up and the other folded to the side. He looked at the orange-haired man again, spotting a pair of fox-ears on top of his head, almost hidden by the same colored hair. Baekhyun smiled at that, finding it quite cute and endearing that the boyfriends wore them so casually. He stepped forward, bowing slightly in order to greet them properly as well. 

“Hello, I’m Baekhyun. Pleased to meet you”, he spoke up with friendly and light voice, the orange-haired man’s eyes meeting his as he bowed to him as well. 

“Hey Baekhyun. I’m  Younghyun ”, the man greeted him and smiled brightly. 

Baekhyun smiled shyly, a bit taken aback by  Younghyun’s obvious charisma. 

“ Jongdae , the tile over there is broken, what happened there? When I visited you last time, it was perfectly fine.” The bunny-eared man,  Wonpil , asked all of a sudden, disrupting the short moment of silence.

“Oh, that one. That must’ve happened last weekend, I guess.  Chanyeol’s chair busted. It probably cracked the tile in the process. Why are you asking? Have you been counting them again?”  Jongdae asked with a smirk, softly nudging his side. 

“Don’t need counting. Still 81 tiles.  Younghyun is hungry, we should eat. It’s already past 13:30”,  Wonpil said and went to the table, choosing the chair which was usually Mrs. Park’s and  Younghyun sat down next to him. 

Baekhyun was a bit surprised by the way how  Wonpil just seated himself– other people would have considered it impolite maybe, but Baekhyun knew better. He was interested and curious about  Wonpil and his boyfriend, and he really wanted to befriend them. So, he sat down as well, wanting to help handing out the food.  Younghyun stopped him midway, an apologetic smile on his lips. 

“Thanks, but I’ll do it for us”, he said and held up  Wonpil’s plate. 

He placed the side dishes so that they did not connect with the meat, even putting the sauce into a separate bowl for him.  Wonpil in the meantime, was busy pouring water into his glass, accurately stopping as soon as it was half filled, repeating the same with  Younghyun’s glass. The two of them continued with whatever routine they had, Baekhyun watching them secretly, trying not to stare or gasp due to how in motion they were. 

He noticed that  Wonpil had quite the cute facial features – being cross-eyed and having widened nostrils. He also seemed to have the habit of biting his lip or scrunching up his nose, mostly looking past the people at the table and rather focusing on interesting objects in the background.

Younghyun was very different, he was chatting with both Baekhyun and  Jongdae , being way more accessible and talkative than  Wonpil . His appearance was quite casual, debonair even and Baekhyun wondered how the two of them had managed to become and stay a couple, seemingly very different in both personality and interests –  Wonpil's Asperger out of judgement. 

All in all, Baekhyun was quite enchanted by the couple sitting opposite him and he enjoyed their company. It was not until  Wonpil addressed him for the first time, that he was feeling slightly uneasy about the other’s calculative manner. 

“It’s unusual for people to come barging in out of nowhere on this island. You are not here for vacation. I am wondering what your true motives are, Baekhyun.”  Wonpil said, scrutinizing a sugar pea, held up between his chopsticks. 

Baekhyun slightly flinched at that, surprised by this comment.  Younghyun and  Jongdae looked up from their plates, eyes switching from one to the other. When Baekhyun did not answer,  Younghyun carefully leaned to his boyfriend, speaking with low voice. 

“Bunny... Baekhyun probably doesn’t want to talk about it.” 

Wonpil shortly looked at him, only talking to  Younghyun now. 

“Why not? How do you know? Why can’t he just tell us that?”  Wonpil asked one question after the other, seemingly confused by it all.

Younghyun put his hand on  Wonpil’s arm, the boy shortly flinching and looking at it before he seemingly relaxed under the touch. 

“Because it’s probably his secret, dear”,  Younghyun answered with calm and low voice. 

A hint of shock became visible on  Wonpil’s pretty face, even if it was only a mere second. 

“Secret? Oh no... Oh no... that’s not good. I don’t like secrets, you promised me there are no secrets. Oh no...”  Wonpil muttered, fiddling around nervously. 

Younghyun withdrew his hand, using only his voice to calm his boyfriend, somehow sensing that the other did not appreciate the touch of his hand at the moment. 

“And there are none, really. Not a single one,  Pillie . It’s Baekhyun-ah's secret, not mine”,  Younghyun spoke slowly and carefully, a light smile on his lips while looking at his boyfriend. 

Wonpil was chewing on his lip again, shooting several glances at the other. The two of them behaved as if  Jongdae and Baekhyun were not even there, somehow caught up in a sphere that only belonged to them, a certain understanding they did not share with anybody else. 

Baekhyun did not mind of course, there were certain things about himself and Beom that nobody else would ever understand as well. The only thing he was feeling uneasy about was the fact that he was somehow responsible for their little discussion and that left him worrying and doubting himself.

Wonpil nodded several times and scooted closer to  Younghyun again. Baekhyun expected him to smile back at his boyfriend or at least look at him, telling that he was fine and thankful for his soothing words, but none of it happened.  Younghyun’s resplendent smile did not get reciprocated and Baekhyun wondered how often this was happening in their relationship. 

He knew that people with Asperger had a hard time expressing their own emotions, that it was even harder for them to distinguish and interpret these of others.  So, he harbored a great amount of respect for the two of them. 

“Okay... okay. Baekhyun, I think you should tell this secret to  Jongdae . He’s not good at keeping secrets, so he’ll definitely tell us and then it’s no longer a secret to us. Can you do that please?”  Wonpil asked, his distorted logic almost making Baekhyun laugh. 

He glanced at  Jongdae , raising a brow at him. 

“Is that true, you’re not good at keeping secrets?” Baekhyun asked with a smirk. 

Jongdae breathed in through his teeth, lifting his hands up. 

“Guilty. But that only ever happens when I’m talking to  Pillie , he always makes me spill everything. I really don’t know why”,  Jongdae admitted with a nervous chuckle. 

“Must be because of his irresistible charm”,  Younghyun said with a grin. 

“You’re the one that people call charming, not me. Most people are confused by me and don’t like me. Even though I really don’t understand, I’m much smarter than you, they should prefer my intelligence over what they call your intriguing handsomeness”,  Wonpil said, seemingly meaning every word.

Baekhyun was again shocked by the boy’s bluntness, but  Younghyun did not seem to mind in any way, instead he was laughing wholeheartedly,  Jongdae joining him. 

“Oh gosh, I really missed your sharp comments, Pil”,  Jongdae said. 

“Why sharp? No knives here”,  Wonpil replied in confusion. 

“It’s a phrase, bunny”,  Younghyun shortly explained. 

“By the way, what about your bunny and fox ears? Any special occasion today?”  Jongdae asked. 

“It’s Sunday”,  Wonpil answered, not explaining it further. 

“What he means is that we always wear these on Sundays. Ever since that carnival event last summer, it’s a ritual for us to wear them”,  Younghyun added. 

“That’s really cute. Maybe I should get myself one of these as well”,  Jongdae said with a chuckle. 

“I can make you a pair. For Baekhyun as well”,  Wonpil offered. 

“Make them? You did them yourself?” Baekhyun asked in surprise. 

“Of course.”,  Wonpil answered casually. 

“That’s amazing, thank you,  Wonpil ”, Baekhyun said. 

“I’m done eating. I have to brush my teeth”,  Wonpil announced and stood up, stretching his hand out to his boyfriend. 

Younghyun immediately took the hint and rummaged through his little backpack, taking out a toothbrush and –paste.  Wonpil took them and walked off to the bathroom, not saying another word or waiting for the others to finish eating. Again, Baekhyun did not mind, but he was sure that most people would...

“I’m sorry for earlier, Baekhyun-ah.  Wonpil doesn’t get the reason of secrets. He always gets worked up about secretive things...”  Younghyun said. 

“Don’t be sorry. No harm done, really”, Baekhyun eased him and the other gave him one of his charming smiles again. 

“Alright... you guys are finished, right? Would you mind if we clean up right now?  Wonpil can’t stand dirty dishes”,  Younghyun told them. 

Jongdae and Baekhyun did not mind, so they stood up fast and hurried to clean everything.  Wonpil came back after exactly 5 minutes and they were almost finished with putting everything into the dishwasher. 

“You guys can head into the living room and talk about the project, I’ll finish up in the meantime”,  Younghyun offered. 

“Are you sure?”  Jongdae asked with raised brows. 

“Yes, yes. I’ll join you in a bit”,  Younghyun said with an assuring smile and the three men went to the living room, settling down on the comfy couches. 

“So,  Pillie , tell us about our investor, when will she meet up with us?”  Jongdae asked and the two started talking about the facts. 

Wonpil’s style of talking differed greatly from what Baekhyun was used to. The only person he had ever met, who had been as precise and scarce with words as  Wonpil , had been a chief officer back in the agency... 

_ “I like him.  _ _ Wonpil _ _ , I mean. He’s as direct as I am. There should be more people like him” _ , Beom said, his first comment ever since the boyfriends had arrived. 

Baekhyun was not even surprised. Beom was just as incapable with emotions and as straightforward as  Wonpil – with the only difference that  Wonpil did not mean to hurt people with his honesty. Beom was well aware of how his words would hit people. Luckily it was only Baekhyun who could hear him.

Younghyun joined them after a few minutes, sitting down right next to  Wonpil , automatically starting to comb through his boyfriend’s soft hair, even playing with the bunny ears, only half listening to their conversation.  Wonpil did not seem to mind though, his eyes even fluttering close in pleasure every now and then – it was really lovely. 

_ “Don’t be jealous, Hyun. One day you’ll find someone to do that for you, too. Or you can ask  _ _ Jongdae _ _ , I’m sure he’d do it for you” _ , Beom said and Baekhyun felt caught. 

He doubted Beom’s comment though. How would it ever be possible for Baekhyun to find someone who would like to be with him... and Beom for that matter? It seemed impossible. 

Beom sighed. 

_ “Oh Baekhyun... now you’re the pessimistic one. Look at these two, I bet  _ _ Wonpil _ _ is not always easy to be around. But we can all see how well they  _ _ function, _ _ how happy they seem to be. Don’t give up on your own luck.”  _

Baekhyun was thankful for his brother’s words. He really wanted to believe him, he really tried.

\---

Wonpil and  Younghyun stayed until seven in the evening.  Mrs. Park had joined them in the afternoon, now they were all standing on the porch, bidding their goodbyes to each other. 

“It was great seeing you again,  Wonpil -ah. You grew up fine, I bet your sister is very proud”, Mrs. Park said and very carefully put her hand on  Wonpil’s shoulder.

Wonpil did not say anything in return, but he also did not move away from her.

“As for you,  Younghyun -ah, look out for  Wonpil , will you?” Mrs. Park concluded.

Younghyun nodded and smiled in assurance. 

“Always,  Mrs Park.” 

Wonpil tugged at his boyfriend’s sleeve. 

“We  gotta go. The show starts at eight, our drive will take about 40 minutes, we can’t be late”, he said in concern. 

Younghyun smiled in understanding, glancing back at  Jongdae ,  Mrs Park and Baekhyun. 

“Duty calls. See you soon. Enjoy the rest of your free evening. Bye”,  Younghyun said and climbed into the car, driving away shortly after. 

“What a lovely couple. I’m so happy for  Wonpil , I bet it wasn’t easy to find such luck with a guy like  Younghyun ”,  Mrs. Park said with a sigh as soon as their car was out of view and they went back inside. 

“Yeah, they really are a match. It’s been merely two years, but I feel like this will be forever”,  Jongdae replied with a happy smile. 

“Why can’t  _ you  _ bring home a guy like  Younghyun , hm? I want to speak proudly about my son’s boyfriends and not these of other mothers’ kids”, she said and brushed through  Jongdae’s hair, teasing him. 

“Mum... please spare me with that. Have you already forgotten? I brought such a fine guy as well for quite some time”,  Jongdae pouted. 

“Of course, I remember. Believe it or not, I know that he still comes over from time to time, just not in the official way”,  Mrs. Park said with a wink and all the color drained from his face before his cheeks flamed up with red. 

“Oh my god, Mum! This is so embarrassing... Baekhyun is right there, he shouldn’t hear of such things”,  Jongdae whined helplessly, shooting worried and ashamed glances at Baekhyun.

The latter chuckled lowly. 

“To be honest, I already knew about that”, Baekhyun admitted. 

“No, it can’t be... how? Who told you??”  Jongdae asked, sinking deeper into the couch. 

“ Chanyeol told me when we were at the riding school”, Baekhyun said, failing to hide his amusement.

“That son of a...”  Jongdae started to curse, Mrs. Park interrupting him though. 

“Na na na, language, my dear.” 

“Wow, this just turns out to be one of the most embarrassing moments of my life... Please, get me a shovel and dig my grave. Ok no, make that two. I’ll take that traitor of a brother with me”,  Jongdae muttered. 

“Don’t get worked up about it, I don’t judge”, Baekhyun tried to ease him, scooting over to move  Jongdae’s hands away from his tomato-red face. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I wanted you to like me. Now you must think I’m some naughty boy, only fooling around. I wanted you to look up to me, so I can be a good friend for you”,  Jongdae whined some more, hiding his face against Baekhyun’s chest now, half lying on his lap. 

Baekhyun was a bit taken aback at first, but then he just played along with him, both boys giggling to their heart’s content. 

“I’m still looking up to you, you’re a great friend already – the best and only one I ever had, to be honest”, Baekhyun said after they had calmed down a bit. 

Jongdae’s mob of curls moved away from Baekhyun’s chest, big wide eyes meeting Baekhyun’s. 

“R-Really?” He asked with a gasp. 

Baekhyun nodded slowly, a soft smile gracing his lips. 

“Oh my god,  Baekkieeee , that is so sweet! I feel so honored! Thank you. Oh my, I’m so happy right now, I could kiss you”,  Jongdae exclaimed in joy, throwing his arms around Baekhyun. 

“D-Dae, what...  ahhh no, don’t give me these smoochy lips”, Baekhyun whined and giggled at once, trying to escape the other’s pecks to his face. 

But  Jongdae continued the assault, trapping Baekhyun under his body, straddling him. Mrs. Park was chuckling, watching them with amusement. Baekhyun was sure that he heard Beom laughing as well.

“What’s happening here?” A deep voice asked and they flinched upon hearing. 

Jongdae turned around, still nicely seated on Baekhyun’s lap, a grin on his angelic face, curls standing out in every direction. Baekhyun was flustered though, chest heaving up and down due to his uncontrolled laughing. 

Chanyeol stood in the door to the living room, staring at them, brows immensely furrowed, mouth slightly agape as if he was seeing something both fascinating and distressing.  Jongdae raised up his hand, pointing at  Chanyeol . 

“You, traitor of a brother! I have a bone to pick with you”, he called out and the frown on  Chanyeol’s face deepened. 

Before  Chanyeol could reply anything,  Mrs. Park stood up, straightening her clothes. 

“I’ll go give grandma her medicine. You boys have fun, but don’t demolish the couch”, she said with a little chuckle and then went out. 

Chanyeol made space for her before he walked closer to the other two, still staring at them. Baekhyun did not move, even though he felt comfortable under  Chanyeol’s gaze while having  Jongdae on his lap like that. 

“So, what is it you’re accusing me of? And since when do you have a thing for someone who’s only half a portion?”  Chanyeol asked his brother, his voice feigning indifference. 

_ “Hooray, the jerk of  _ _ Jeju _ _ is back. What happiness we received....” _ Beom groaned, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jongdae moved to sit next to Baekhyun, keeping close to him though. 

“Excuse me? Okay, so first things first. Who gave you the right to walk around and tell people about my  sexlife , especially our Baekhyun here? And secondly, Baekhyun is amazing no matter if he’s my type or not. Any guy could consider himself happy to call him his”,  Jongdae said with a huff. 

Baekhyun felt awkward and flustered, it was barely tolerable. 

Chanyeol only raised his brows at that, sitting down on the armchair next to the couch. 

“Slow down, Dae. I don’t go around telling people about your  sexlife . That one time was an exception, don’t worry. Plus, it’s not like there’s anyone who doesn’t know about you and Yixing”,  Chanyeol replied with a shrug, “Regarding him though... I don’t have an opinion about it”, he added and nodded into Baekhyun’s direction. 

“You... you can be such a dick sometimes. Seriously, what made you this way? Why can’t you behave nicely around Baekhyun, only once?”  Jongdae asked him, voice a bit squeaky. 

The brothers stared at each other, exchanging unspoken words. Baekhyun reached out, placing one of his slender hands on  Jongdae’s . 

“Dae, it’s okay... Please don’t force him into accepting or liking me. It’ll only make him dislike me more”, Baekhyun spoke with low and dry voice, slowly standing up. 

Two pairs of eyes were on him, one pair compassionate, the other scrutinizing. 

“I’ll go out and look after Rennie. Don’t call me for dinner, I’m not hungry”, Baekhyun added when none of the two said anything. 

“But, Baekhyun...”  Jongdae started arguing, but Baekhyun interrupted him. 

“Don’t worry. I’m fine”, he assured him with a forced smile. 

He walked out of the house, his steps fast and little tears of frustration building up in his eyes...

\---

Baekhyun found comfort by being with the sheep and goats. He hid in their stable until late in the night, almost falling asleep on the straw pile. Rennie was cuddled up next to him all the time, baaing in protest whenever Baekhyun shortly dozed off, his hand halting from stroking the baby sheep. 

_ “You can’t stay here all night, Baek. You should go back to the main house. I’ll make sure that the jerk won’t hurt you again” _ _ , _ Beom tried to convince him, but Baekhyun was still pondering. 

He really liked staying at the farm, but  Chanyeol’s antipathy towards him gave him quite the hard time. 

He felt restored to his trainee times: Always having to prove himself, to fight and endure others’ harsh words or sharp comments. He was so done with that. He deserved  better, he knew that much. He was no selfish person, he was well-mannered and kind, he was hard-working and open-minded. Actually, there was no damn reason to feel bad about himself. 

Beom, who had listened to Baekhyun’s thoughts once again, disrupted the silent pondering. 

_ “You’re right. Why are you hiding away here? Get your peachy ass out there and live, for god’s sake. You came here for change, Baekhyun, not to repeat or replay the past. It’s time for you to stand up for the things you enjoy and like. Make some new experiences, make friends, spend time with  _ _ Jongdae _ _. Please... I’m begging you!” _

Baekhyun jumped up all of a sudden, Rennie baaing in disagreement. 

“Beom... you’re so right. I ’m revert ing to my old days. I should try to set an end to that”, Baekhyun spoke up, hands fisted. 

_ “Exactly. Now go out and tell that jerk that you’re not going to be his punching bag any longer” _ , Beom prompted. 

Baekhyun felt strangely powerful all of a sudden, ready to face his future, ready to face anyone who was trying to prevent him from finding happiness. It was a strange way to get to this point, but Baekhyun did not mind it. He grew strong enough to do this now, he would not keep back, no matter what it would bring him. 

“Rennie... I’m sorry baby, I  gotta go for now. But I’ll be back tomorrow. Promised”, Baekhyun said to the sheep and pecked its head before leaving the stable. Back in the main house, he immediately headed towards  Chanyeol’s room, his gait confident. 

“Is he in there?” Baekhyun asked Beom, only shortly waiting for an answer before he was knocking on the door. 

_ “Yes, but he is...” _ Beom started, but it was already too late and Baekhyun was already inside the room. 

“...naked!” Baekhyun finished with a gasp, helplessly staring at  Chanyeol in all his unclothed glory. 

The man was staring back at him with shocked expression, pearls of water glistening on his skin and hair, probably from the shower he just took. 

“...the hell?”  Chanyeol coughed out, quickly grabbing up a towel, wrapping it around his waist. 

Baekhyun had a hard time pushing back the image of naked  Chanyeol – barging in like this was really not the best idea he ever had. 

Nevertheless, he came with a mission, and he was eager to complete it as successfully as possible, make all these years in the agency worth something.  So he straightened his shoulders, lifted up his chin and cleared his voice, looking right into the other’s eyes. 

“I like it here. I like the  farm, I like the animals and the people who are living here. I care a lot about it all, even after such a short period of time. Don’t question my motives, my reasons or background – all of it wouldn’t make me a bad person, no matter how much you’d seek for it. I’m not perfect, far from it. But so are  you. I might be secretive and strange, I might look weak, not strong enough to lift flour sacks all day or keep up with your stamina at riding. But I do have other qualities, and I promise that they’ll be of use for the farm, for you and your family. I’m respecting the life you built up here, I really do and I’m more than ready to contribute my part. All I’m asking for in return, is for you to let me. I don’t need you to like me, befriend me or accept me as a part of the family. Just, let me do my work and don’t try to shoo me away for whatever reason you have. I’ll keep my mouth shut about whatever issue you got with me or I’ll sit down and sort it out with you, that’s completely up to you. But please,  Chanyeol , let me stay here and don’t make my life harder than necessary. I don’t want pity or anything, but I’ve had quite the hard time before I came to  Jeju and I really don’t want things to repeat themselves one way or another. So... what do you say?” Baekhyun finished his little speech, secretly catching his breath.

Chanyeol was staring at him. He had that typical stare with the furrowed brows and clenched lips. The stare that was trying to see through all his dermal layers and into his soul. But luckily, he could not. Else he would be very surprised to find that there were two of them... 

Baekhyun fiddled around nervously, waiting for the older man’s answer.  Chanyeol breathed in deeply, seemingly summoning his words. 

“Well... now that you spread out all of that in front of me, I’d say we’re even. I can’t promise that I was able to follow every word of yours, you talked quite fast after all.  But, I understood what you were trying to say and... I’ll do my best to fulfill my part. Now that you’ve seen me naked, I doubt that you’ll be able to overtrump bothering me anyways. Might as well just get used to seeing you around here”, he said, a cocky smile starting to graze  Chanyeol’s lips.

It took Baekhyun off guard and he was surprised about... well, what was it that he was experiencing right now?  Chanyeol’s sense of humor? His way of flirting? Apologizing? Or rather mocking him? Whatever it was, it was literally: 

“...Unbelievable”, Baekhyun mumbled. 

Chanyeol lifted a brow at him, that smile still prominent. 

“That’s what everyone says after seeing me naked”, the man said with a shrug and Baekhyun could not believe his eyes and ears. 

This side of  Chanyeol was completely new terrain for him. He chose to get used to it for now. At least he had not been thrown out or yelled at. That itself had been quite the improvement, right?

“Uhm... alright. I think we’ll just leave it at that. Thanks for listening to me and... understanding, I guess?! I’ll go to bed now. Good night and... thank you,  Chanyeol ”, Baekhyun stammered and took a step back towards the door. 

Chanyeol tilted his head. 

“You’re welcome, I guess. You know, I didn’t believe you had it in you, but seems like you’re a little fighter after all. I’m... impressed, to be honest. Now, sleep well and most importantly, sweet dreams”,  Chanyeol said lightly and even dared to wink at Baekhyun. 

The latter stood there frozen for a second, gaping like a fish and cheeks starting to flame up. Okay, that was definitely the cue to leave. 

He promptly walked out and closed the door, fleeing to his room and away from that new side of  Chanyeol that he had just uncovered and witnessed. Baekhyun sunk down on his bed, still overwhelmed by their conversation. 

_ “Well, that didn’t go too bad, did it?” _ Beom asked him, amusement resonating in his voice. 

“Guess it didn’t. I probably achieved more than I expected to. I still can’t really comprehend”, Baekhyun mumbled, chewing on his lip. 

_ “Oh yeah, you definitely some big things tonight” _ , Beom chuckled lowly. 

Baekhyun blushed down to his toes at that remark.

“He... he... Gosh, have you seen how big he...” Baekhyun voiced out, surprised about himself. 

_ “No way to not see it, really. I’m just surprised that this is the only thing you can think about right now. You achieved truce with him after all” _ , Beom reminded him. 

Baekhyun shook himself. 

“Yeah, yeah... of course. I really did achieve that”, Baekhyun chuckled with hoarse voice. 

“I... I’ll go to sleep now. It’s really late. Good night, Beom”, Baekhyun was fast to say then, trying to escape the strange conversation. 

_ “I’ll make sure you’ll have the nicest and sweetest dreams of all. Good night, brother” _ , Beom promised him, voice dripping with mischief. 

Baekhyun pressed a pillow against his face, groaning in desperation. 

“Gosh... I really hate you sometimes... what have I done to deserve that?” 

_ “Thanks, I love you as well. Now that you said that, I’ll definitely make you dream of  _ _ Chanyeol’s _ _ wiener... or should I say his chanaconda?” _ Beom continued teasing him. 

“Don’t you dare,  Baekbeom !” Baekhyun whined. 

_ “Oh, calling me by my full name now? Guess you really mean it. Alright, I’ll have mercy on you, but only because you made me proud tonight” _ , Beom gave in and Baekhyun sighed in relief. 

“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you”, Baekhyun said, his voice very low and soft now. 

_“You’re more than welcome,_ _Hyunnie_ _...”_


	7. Cold Shower

The changes were little at first. Baby steps, like Beom used to call it. But at least there was some visible improvement. 

Chanyeol was seriously trying not to be a total jerk towards Baekhyun – at least not as much as before their nightly talk. Baekhyun was still immensely embarrassed about it all. Proud as well, yes, but mostly embarrassed. Especially because  Chanyeol teased him about it whenever he found the chance to. 

He teased Baekhyun a lot in general, put him under a different kind of suffering. Most of his comments were not aimed to hurt Baekhyun any longer, now they were rather meant to fluster him, make him blush and shy away in embarrassment. 

Somehow, Baekhyun was not sure which was worse,  Chanyeol being a jerk or a rascal. Beom, who was seeing  Chanyeol’s pranks as some kind of challenge, had started his own feud against him. Spiders or bugs in  Chanyeol’s room, disheveled music sheets, ripped guitar strings, missing objects or spilled coffee were becoming a regular thing and the man got all worked up about it whenever something unfortunate happened. 

Baekhyun wanted Beom to stop, begged him on a daily basis, but to no avail. Baekhyun was scared that  Chanyeol would trace it all back to him, that he would discover their secret or even worse, that he would go all jerk on him again and chase him away. 

Neither of it happened though - thanks to Beom being an expert on covering his tracks, not leaving any in the first place. He always made sure that Baekhyun had an alibi, that it was truly impossible for him being the culprit behind everything unusual that happened. It set  Chanyeol off to no end. His mother and  Jongdae starting to believe that he was turning all crazy, or saying that he spent too much time in the sun. Beom was enjoying all that and Baekhyun was always quite anxious whenever one of his brother’s pranks played out well again.  Chanyeol often looked like some kicked puppy whenever his family members did not seem to have any pity on him, and that added up to Baekhyun’s bad conscience.

It was Saturday, exactly two weeks after Baekhyun had arrived at the Parks’ doorstep. It had been very warm and muggy all day and everyone was relieved as soon as all the horses were taken care of so they could take a rest for the remainder of the evening. 

Baekhyun and  Jongdae were lazing around on the couch, watching some TV-show while Mrs. Park took care of her mother. Baekhyun did not pay attention to the show, he was rather wondering about  Chanyeol , who had been all urgent about finishing every task before seven p.m. He was nowhere to be seen, but Baekhyun could hear the shower in the distance. 

“Say...  Jongdae , is  Chanyeol going out tonight or anything?” Baekhyun asked his curly-haired friend who was lying all spread-eagled on the couch, whines and gasps escaping him whenever something dramatic happened on screen. 

“Hmm... I don’t know, maybe. Why are you asking? You  wanna go out as well?”  Jongdae asked, paying attention to Baekhyun now. 

“N-No, not really. I was just wondering why he was so eager to finish up early”, Baekhyun answered nonchalantly. 

“Maybe he was just frustrated because Quicksilver threw him off his back again today. He tends to sulk in his room whenever one of his troubled cases doesn’t improve as he wishes”,  Jongdae replied with a shrug. 

“Why don’t you go and ask him? I’m sure he’d be happy to...”  Jongdae started but got interrupted by a loud and deep scream, coming from the bathroom. 

The two boys hurried up from the couch and ran out to the corridor.

Baekhyun heard Beom chuckling lowly, pressing his lips together. 

“What’ve you done again?” He asked his brother, hissing out lowly so that  Jongdae could not hear him. 

_ “Only revenging my dear brother’s honor.  _ _ Chanyeol _ _ shouldn’t have called you a slug today. You were working fast and effective enough, he had no right” _ , Beom replied without remorse. 

Baekhyun sighed deeply, things were getting out of hand, he really needed to get Beom’s focus onto something else... 

“ Chanyeol ? What happened? Are you alright?”  Jongdae called out through the locked door, softly knocking on it. 

“It’s fucking cold!”  Chanyeol’s muffled but sharp voice called back. 

“There’s no hot water! I’m freezing to death in here. Go fix it!” He added. 

“I don’t know  how, it’ll take some time. Are you not finished yet? Just get out and dry yourself. You can try again when the water’s fixed”,  Jongdae suggested, rolling his eyes, only for Baekhyun to see. 

“I can’t. I’ll meet up with a friend, he’ll be here with the cab around 19:30. It’s 19:20 now”,  Chanyeol yelled back, seemingly stressed. 

“Damn, Chanyeol. Your time management is the worst. Why didn’t you say so earlier? You could’ve let us finish everything on our own”, Jongdae replied. 

“ Dae , it’s a bit too late to disabuse me now, don’t you think so?”  Chanyeol snarled back in annoyance. 

“Right... right. Hang in there, I’ll do my best. Baekhyun, you stay here, go get me when the water’s back, okay?”  Jongdae instructed him and then hurried down to the cellar. 

Baekhyun remained in front of the bathroom door, feeling displaced. He could hear  Chanyeol moving around, the creaky sound of wet skin on steal and the water running low. 

“Damn it, this is turning colder and colder...” He heard him cursing. 

Baekhyun chewed on his lip. 

“Beom, please turn it warm again. He needs to get ready, you can play your games later on”, Baekhyun mumbled lowly, begging. 

_ “No, I won’t. He can’t just play around with you like that. He doesn’t bully you like before, okay, but he’s still not as nice to you as he should be. I can’t stand his arrogance. So no, I won’t fix it” _ , Beom remained stubborn. 

Baekhyun groaned in annoyance, thinking about what he could do in order to convince his devilish brother. 

“Think of  Jongdae then. He’s the one down in that dark and creepy cellar, trying to fix the water for his jerky older brother. That’s no fair treatment for our friend, is it?” Baekhyun countered. 

There was a moment of silence, Beom seemingly pondering. 

_ “...That... okay. Guess you’re right... I’ll help him fix it” _ , Beom gave in, sighing in surrender. 

_ “You go get that door in the meantime” _ , he added and Baekhyun furrowed his brows in confusion. “

What door...?” Baekhyun asked, but Beom didn’t answer, having turned his focus on  Jongdae now. 

Only a few seconds later, the doorbell rang. 

“Damn it!” Baekhyun and  Chanyeol cursed at once. 

Baekhyun was unsure, he did not want to meet and greet  Chanyeol’s date. He really was not interested in meeting that person, really not.

“Shorty, go open up for god’s sake and keep him busy. I’ll be ready as soon as possible”,  Chanyeol called through the bathroom door. 

Baekhyun was about to hurry to the door, but a thought came to his mind. 

“Only if you say the magic word”, he replied, crossing his arms in front of his small body even though the other could not see him. 

“Are you being serious right now? Oh my... okay  okay . You won. Please, dearest Baekhyun, please go get that fucking door!”  Chanyeol hissed impatiently. 

“Hmph... we still need to work on that attitude, Dumbo”, Baekhyun countered, flicking his tongue as he walked away from the bathroom. 

“You...!” He heard  Chanyeol calling after him, but Baekhyun was already too far to care. 

There was a knock on the door now,  Chanyeol’s date probably unsure if he should ring the bell for a second time. Baekhyun straightened his shoulders, preparing himself to meet the person waiting on the porch, probably expecting  Chanyeol . He opened up and was met with a fluffy mob of blonde hair, a pair of curious olive-green eyes and a shy smile. 

The young man in front of him was a beauty in every aspect. He was Baekhyun’s height, seemingly the same age as well, but his appearance was a lot different from Baekhyun’s. The vibe surrounding  Chanyeol’s date, was a mix of stunning attractiveness as well as enchanting cuteness. With his full and luscious lips, the spotless white teeth and sweet smile, the young man could easily be a model for any advertisement – Baekhyun would buy everything that got promoted by this smile. Next thing was the pair of curious eyes.  Chanyeol’s date wore contact lenses, making him look exotic, which added up to the liveliness lying behind that gaze. 

And then there was the guy’s figure. A slender waistline, followed by wide hips and juicy thighs, all packed up in extremely tight jeans and a white linen shirt. He wore sparkling silver jewelry as well, earrings dangling from his ears. Baekhyun’s voice was literally stuck in his throat and he was too occupied with staring, not realizing that he should probably welcome him and tell him about Chanyeol’s delay.

A smirk appeared on the guy’s face, pushing up his rather chubby cheeks and making his eyes crinkle. Baekhyun was almost sure that the man was kind of used to such a reaction. 

“You’re not  Chanyeol . I  gotta say, I wouldn’t mind it if you would be my date tonight instead of him... What’s your name, cutie?” The guy asked and Baekhyun was flustered by his charm and  flirtiness . 

“Uhm... I’m Baekhyun...  Chanyeol was delayed, he should be here soon though”, Baekhyun stammered, slightly avoiding the other’s stare. 

“Oh, no worries, I can wait. Will you invite me in for the meantime, Baekhyun?” The other replied, a teasing smile on his lips. 

“Yeah... yeah, of course. I’m sorry, please step inside”, Baekhyun hurried to say and made way for the beauty in front of him. 

“Thank you, dear. I’m Park Jimin by the way. Nice to meet you. You’re not  Chanyeol’s brother though or did he forget to tell me about a second one?” Jimin asked as he strode into the kitchen, looking around curiously. 

Baekhyun paced after him, getting out a glass, offering something to drink. 

“Thank you, how attentive of you”, Jimin thanked him and shortly licked his lips, Baekhyun’s cheeks reddening, which only seemed to amuse the other. 

“You’re welcome and no, I’m not  Chanyeol’s brother. I’m here for the summer, helping out on the farm. I was offered a room to stay and been here for two weeks now”, Baekhyun told him, words coming out more easily. 

“I see. What a shame that  Chanyeol didn’t tell me about you before, I’d have visited the farm earlier then”, Jimin said, Baekhyun’s scratching his neck all flustered. 

When Baekhyun did not say anything, Jimin continued talking, flaunting over to the living room in order to take in more of his date’s home. 

“So, Baekhyun, what kept the man of the house so busy? Was it work or did he decide to have his dessert before the main course?” Jimin asked with a wink, looking Baekhyun up and down in a flirtatious way. 

“What? No, oh my gosh no... It’s the shower, the... the water turned all cold and he couldn’t get ready”, Baekhyun stammered, face reddening some more.

“Cold water, huh? Well, I guess it wasn’t bad luck exactly – if I’d have a cutie like you running around in my house, I’d also need a lot of cold showers”, Jimin replied with a grin and Baekhyun almost coughed on his spit. 

Jimin was quite shameless, worse than  Jongdae even. 

“This... this is really not what...” Baekhyun started but got interrupted by  Jongdae , who hurried past through the corridor. 

His hair was even messier than usual and he had smears of dirt on his soft face. 

“The water should be fixed. Shall I...” he called out but stopped midway when he noticed Jimin and Baekhyun in the living room, “Oh, you’re already here”, he said and laughed nervously, eyeing Jimin up and down. 

“I’m  Jongdae ,  Chanyeol’s brother. He should be here any minute. I suppose Baekhyun already informed you. Jimin was it, right?”  Jongdae introduced himself, cleaning his hand on his shirt before he reached out to shake Jimin’s small and beringed one. 

Jimin brought up his dashing smile again. 

“Right indeed. Pleased to meet you,  Chanyeol’s brother. I can see the similarity. You got the same cute smile”, Jimin commented and tilted his head. 

Baekhyun could not stop himself from secretly staring at Jimin. 

_ “So, that’s the guy he’s going out with, huh? Interesting... he seems to be very confident. Didn’t expect  _ _ Chanyeol _ _ to prefer the cheeky type. Must be a case of over-correction” _ , Beom commented and Baekhyun really wanted to know what he meant by that. 

“Well thank you. To be honest, I’m quite surprised that my dumb big brother managed to get noticed by someone as pretty as you”,  Jongdae complimented him, mirroring Jimin’s easiness. 

Jimin chuckled lowly, his eyes sparkling. 

“Oh, he didn’t have to do much in order to get my attention. I don’t know why, but  somehow, I’m into the tall, frowning and mysterious guys”, Jimin winked. 

_ “Ugh, that doesn’t make any sense at all... But you’ve got that taste in common, right  _ _ Hyunnie _ _?” _ Beom teased. 

“Shut up...” Baekhyun mumbled. 

“Good luck on solving the mysteries surrounding  Chanyeol . Just a warning, many tried and failed, including me. Don’t take it personal when he’s shutting you out in some way”,  Jongdae said and blew a curl out of his face. 

“Don’t worry about me, I’m open-minded and outgoing enough for the both of us”, Jimin replied confidently, seemingly unbothered by  Chanyeol’s introverted personality. 

“Alright then”,  Jongdae said with a light smile. 

An uncomfortable silence became imminent and Baekhyun was almost relieved when he hurt heavy footsteps, each of them looking over to a freshly styled  Chanyeol . Said man remained in the doorway, brows naturally furrowed as he took in the situation. Baekhyun noticed the elegant clothing on  Chanyeol’s well-built body and he had to admit that it suited him almost too well for Baekhyun’s liking. Jimin strode over to him, smiling charmingly. 

“Hello big boy, good to see you at last. I almost thought your shower would take forever”, Jimin said with chirpy voice, leaning up to press a chaste peck onto  Chanyeol’s cheek. 

Chanyeol , still a bit tense, looked down at his date, a little smile appearing on his lips as he wrapped an arm around Jimin’s waist. 

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting”,  Chanyeol said, his voice unusually kind. 

Jimin waved it off, leaning into the taller man’s touch. 

“ Nahh , no worries. I’m already used to waiting for you. Just a little hint for next time when your shower is too cold: Invite me to join you and you’ll no longer feel cold anywhere.” Jimin spoke with low voice, but Baekhyun was still able to make out every word, shortly exchanging a look with  Jongdae who was wiggling his brows in amusement. 

Baekhyun could not share his friend’s amusement though, feeling awkward to have heard such an intimate offer, especially because it was directed to  Chanyeol . The latter did not seem too comfortable either, the tips of his pointy ears turning into a bright shade of red. 

“I... I’ll keep it in mind. Let’s get going, the cab driver must be very impatient by now”,  Chanyeol changed the topic and led his date to the front door. 

“Why the hurry? We’re paying customers, he should be happy about that extra money, shouldn’t he?” Jimin countered with a raised brow. 

He turned around on the porch, facing Baekhyun and  Jongdae who had followed them. 

“I  gotta say goodbye to these two first”, he continued and bowed slightly, “It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you again soon”, he added and Baekhyun smiled back politely. 

He himself was not too eager about that reunion – at least not if it meant witnessing Jimin and  Chanyeol flirting, that was just way too awkward for his liking. 

“Have fun in the club. And Jimin- ssi ? Don’t let him drink too much, he gets touchy whenever he’s drunk”,  Jongdae called after them, the two men already at the cab. 

“No worries, sweetie, that’s exactly up to my liking”, Jimin called back with a smirk. 

Even from the distance, Baekhyun could see how the red of  Chanyeol’s ears spread to his face, the giant hastily helping Jimin inside so he could not voice out more naughty comments.  Jongdae chuckled next to him, but Baekhyun somehow felt like throwing  up.

The cab drove off the property then, Baekhyun turning around in order to head back inside,  Jongdae on his heels.

“Guess we won’t see our dearest  Chanyeol until tomorrow. I hope he’ll have fun, could do him some good, he definitely needs to relax more, get his mind off of work. Jimin seems to be the perfect guy for it, don’t you think?”  Jongdae asked with his typical chatty tone and put an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders. 

“Guess so, yeah. He’s very... lively”, Baekhyun replied, not really up for that kind of conversation. 

“Exactly. Complete opposite to  Chanyeol if I might say”,  Jongdae continued chatting and slouched on the sofa, Baekhyun sitting down next to him, “I mean,  Chanyeol didn’t have a lot of dates in the past, he was always busying himself with work, but the type of guys he went out with, they were all kind of... bland. Don’t get me wrong, please, they were still nice and lovely, but... there was no challenge, no fire beneath the surface. That Jimin though, he’s got that special something... Can’t tell whether he’s something for the long run of course... still too early but...”  Jongdae continued babbling, Baekhyun only listening with half an ear. 

He really liked  Jongdae and he could not be annoyed by him, neither angry - but for moments like these, Baekhyun really wished that the other was less chatty. Baekhyun just did not care about the older Park’s love life. He simply did not want to think about  Chanyeol going out with pretty boys while he himself was lazing around on the couch, too afraid to go anywhere far from the safety of the farm. After  all both him and Beom had been through in order to get here, he should not risk it for a fun night out, clubbing or such – not that he ever really did that before. 

_ “Yes, you should. Go, ask  _ _ Jongdae _ _ if you can go somewhere nice. Live, Baekhyun! Don’t always glance over your shoulder, I got your back. You didn’t leave the agency in order to lock yourself up. You wanted to get away, now make the best out of it” _ , Beom prompted him. 

Baekhyun was surprised about his brother’s words. In the past, Beom never wanted Baekhyun to go out and make friends, always claiming that no one was good enough and that people were bad, only wanting to exploit Baekhyun’s kindness. Most times, Beom had been right about this and Baekhyun often stuck to his brother’s guidance when it came to trusting people. 

His partner Minho had been one of the few exceptions. Baekhyun had trusted him from the first day on, even though the other had not been too fond of him and Beom at first. But somehow, Baekhyun had known that he could trust the man with not only his life, but also with his feelings... Not that it had any meaning still, Baekhyun and Beom were far gone and Minho was probably working alongside a new partner already, forgetting about little Baekhyun and his ghost of a brother day by day.

Baekhyun jumped up from the couch, startling  Jongdae . 

“What is it? You need to pee or anything?” The latter asked. 

“Let’s go”, Baekhyun said with determination. 

“To the restroom? You and me together?”  Jongdae asked in confusion. 

“No, let’s go out. Let’s go drink or party somewhere. Please, I... I want to try something different... something that is not typical Baekhyun-behavior", he explained, hands fisted.

Jongdae jumped up as well, scrutinizing Baekhyun’s face. 

“Are you being serious? Is this about  Chanyeol or did I miss anything?” He asked, head tilted and curls falling to the side. 

“No, this is about me. Just me.  Chanyeol going out might have been the inspiration, but I want to try something new, I want to have some fun as well. I think I deserve it”, Baekhyun replied eagerly. 

“Oh, oh of course you deserve it,  Baekkie . I gladly take you places tonight. Let’s go pick out some nice clothing and head out. Mom won’t mind, but I’ll inform her, okay? For now, you have permission to turn my wardrobe upside down.  Ahhh this is starting to get exciting”,  Jongdae cheered and hurried out of the living room. 

Baekhyun went to  Jongdae’s room, grinning proudly. He was really looking forward to this now. 

_ “You’re welcome, brother” _ , Beom said. 

“Beom... thank you, really. Will you be okay?” Baekhyun asked in slight worry, knowing that Beom actually did not like tagging along. 

Which was understandable, considering he did not have his own body to use for dancing or anything similar. 

_ “I’ll manage. Just enjoy your night, okay? _ ” Beom assured with soft voice and Baekhyun relaxed. 

That was when an idea popped up inside of his head and before he could overthink it, Baekhyun hurried to get the slip of paper with Donghae’s number on it. 

_“No... no_ _no_ _no_ _, Baekhyun, what do you think you’re doing?”_ Beom asked with slight panic. 

“Making more friends. Living my life. That’s what you allowed me to, at least for tonight, didn’t you?” Baekhyun countered, already typing the number into the phone and dialing. 

_ “Yeah, that’s what I allowed you to...” _ Beom said with a sigh and Baekhyun smiled triumphantly as soon as the call got answered...

\---

An hour later, Baekhyun found himself seated at a small table next to  Donghae , opposite of  Jongdae and Yixing, long drinks standing in front of them. They were in a local karaoke bar which was half an hour away from the farm, located in the south of Namwon- eup . It was small but crowded. Most people sitting at tables surrounding the little stage where two young women currently sang their hearts out. Other guests were sitting in booths, more secluded in order to converse better. There was even a dance floor in the very back of the bar. It was not as fancy and expensive as the big clubs in  Seogwipo , where the majority of vacationers and parvenus used to go, but it was perfect for the local young folk. 

Jongdae was already wiggling around on his seat, eager to drink and dance. After Baekhyun had called  Donghae , asking if he and Yixing wanted to tag along,  Jongdae had been extra excited about Baekhyun’s sudden clubbing-wish.  Jongdae even convinced Baekhyun into wearing heavy eye-liner and the tightest pair of jeans that  Jongdae owned, claiming that these were a must whenever they would go out together – especially with such fine “dates” at their sides.

“Cheers to us and cheers to our newest friend Baekhyun”,  Jongdae spoke up then, raising his drink, the others joining. 

Baekhyun blushed slightly, due to the immediate attention and glances he earned. Especially the glint in Donghae’s eyes was slightly unsettling. The man had eyed him up more than once ever since the two of them got picked up at the farm. Baekhyun would have felt flustered, flattered even if it were not for Beom’s disarming comments. 

_ “He’s no good for you, Baekhyun… he doesn’t care about you… he doesn’t care whether your face is pretty or your personality enchanting… he only wants your pure body laid out in front of him… he only wants the booty…” _

Baekhyun did not believe his brother, or at least he did not want to. But of course, worries and doubts reached the surface and turned Baekhyun into the insecure and shy boy that he always was whenever he was around attractive men. He was just hoping that the alcohol would help him loosen up a bit and ignore his brother’s comments. 

“Thanks for letting us tag along. The week was busy, I’m glad we get some time away from all the work that piles up at home, enjoy good company”, Yixing said with a smile, his charming dimple showing.

“You’re more than welcome. Really a great idea that you had there,  Baekkie ”,  Jongdae said and then reached over the table to pet Baekhyun’s arm. 

“Well, I thought, why should  Chanyeol be the only one to have a fun night out?” Baekhyun said with an enthusiastic shrug. 

“Oh Chanyeol is out to party as well? Didn’t do that in quite a while now, did he? Whom is he going with, Sehun and Jiaer?” Yixing asked, brows raised. 

A smirk appeared on  Jongdae’s face. 

“No, he met someone. His name is Jimin and he looks so sinful that even I had a moment of thinking to try topping for once. Such luscious lips, a smile to die for and… you should’ve seen the guy’s thighs. Godly. I’m sure he’s a dancer or something, don’t know from what else one would get such thighs from. Anyways, they’ve been seeing each other for like… three weeks now? I don’t know for sure. You guys know  Chanyeol , not much of a talker. I must say, I was quite surprised he even accomplished to catch Jimin’s attention in the first place”,  Jongdae told them, chatting freely. 

“Can’t understand that either…”  Donghae mumbled, but no one replied to it. 

“So, is it something serious between the two?” Yixing asked instead, seemingly more interested than his cousin. 

“To be honest, I really don’t know. I mean, the guy screams adventure, sex and fun,  Chanyeol on the other hand… he’s so closed up most of the time and I’m quite sure he didn’t wreck the sheets with someone ever since that  Yoonho -thing… and from what Jimin said today,  Chanyeol didn’t care to bed him yet. Guess he’s still abstinent”,  Jongdae chirped and wiggled his brows.

Baekhyun felt a lump in his stomach. He really did not know why, out of all the possible topics, did they have to talk about  Chanyeol’s sex life? Baekhyun would have felt awkward no matter whom they would be talking about, but  Chanyeol in that case, it just made it worse. 

But he kept silent. If he would ask them to change the topic, it would only make them suspicious and Baekhyun definitely did not need any misunderstandings as in anyone thinking that he harbored a crush on  Chanyeol – which was definitely not the case. 

“Ugh… the  Yoonho -thing… don’t remind me of that.  Chanyeol was miserable for… I don’t know, it felt like decades. When did  Yoonho leave?” Yixing wanted to know, scratching his chin. 

“Three years ago.  Chanyeol had just turned 24 when they broke up”,  Jongdae answered. 

“Right… well, let’s hope he becomes a bit more cheer, no matter what him and that Jimin-guy will turn out to be or not to be”, Yixing concluded optimistically, putting an end to the topic, much to Baekhyun’s relief.

Baekhyun was sipping on his drink, the alcohol crawling down his throat and warming his stomach. It was a weird feeling, since he was not used to it at all. Beom did not like it, claiming that it did not only make Baekhyun dizzy, but himself as well. Having no control was something Beom did not fancy at all. 

Baekhyun had gotten drunk before, only once though. A rebellious escapade on his sixteenth birthday – nothing he was proud of. 

_ “Let bygones be bygones, brother. I trust you won’t get that wasted tonight. No need to prove anything this time… _ ” Beom said, having listened to Baekhyun’s thoughts. 

So Baekhyun stopped thinking about it, concentrating on the here and now again. 

“Say, is  Chanyeol still giving you a hard time? You can always move to our place. We got enough work to do as well, plus, the payment would be better”,  Donghae offered with a wink. 

“ Ohh you did not just offer that! Baekhyun stays with me. You can go out with him as often as you want, but he remains my stray puppynand new bestie, I won’t let him change quarters. Forget it”,  Jongdae huffed, obsessively grabbing after Baekhyun’s hands, glaring at  Donghae .

Baekhyun was flustered, his cheeks slightly reddening. There was a little flame inside his chest, warming up his insides. Never before had someone called him his best friend, never before had people fought over his head only because they liked being around him. This was all so new for him, a good kind of new. 

“I get no saying in this?” He asked back in amusement, raising a brow at his curly-haired friend. 

“Seemingly not”, Yixing snickered, nodding at  Jongdae and  Donghae who were having some sort of staring-contest. 

Jongdae won. 

“Alright, I take what I can get. As for tonight, Baekhyun, how about you gift me the first dance? I promise, I wasn’t born with two left feet”,  Donghae assured him, smiling at Baekhyun. 

The latter bit his lip, shyly looking up from his half-empty drink. 

_ “Say no” _ , Beom mumbled. Baekhyun glanced at  Jongdae , who was nodding firmly, eyes screaming yes. 

So Baekhyun stood up,  Donghae following him with a pleased expression on his face. 

“Gladly”, Baekhyun answered and let the other lead him to the secluded dance floor,  Jongdae and Yixing on their heels. 

Baekhyun’s cheeks were glowing, his eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and nervousness. 

He had only danced with one man before. It had been with Minho, during the agency’s annual winter ball, shortly after Minho had been shot in the shoulder. It had been a beautifully chaotic dance, Minho insisting to dance with him, even though his arm was wrapped up in a sling, everyone of their colleagues watching them, most of them judgingly. Baekhyun had been painfully nervous, but somehow, Minho’s warm brown eyes had managed to calm him down, to make him enjoy the couple minutes of slow spins and messy steps.

Dancing with  Donghae though, was the complete opposite. The song, that was playing when they stepped on the dance floor, was lively and fast. They started dancing without really touching, moving opposite of each other, a good three steps apart with  Jongdae and Yixing right beside them. 

Donghae looked great beneath the club lights. His dark, longer hair reflected the sparks of the disco ball on the low ceiling. His fit body, which was clothed in a slim black shirt and a dark grey pair of jeans, moved confidently to the music. Baekhyun danced shyly at first, his movements careful and minimalistic. 

Jongdae came to his rescue, dancing right next to him and firing him up with his skilled dance moves, his sharp hips bouncing against Baekhyun’s curvy ones. Baekhyun was a fast learner and after shaking off a big amount of his aloofness, he was dancing more freely and  Jongdae left his side, contentedly throwing his arms around Yixing’s neck. The two men danced quite close and Baekhyun expected them to start kissing soon, but it remained more of a push and pull.  Jongdae taunted him with bravely sexy dance moves while Yixing’s charming face reacted to it. It was entertaining to watch, even though Baekhyun felt a bit strange to see his friends flirting so openly.

Donghae caught his attention shortly after when a slower song came up. He carefully reduced the distance between them and lifted his hands, silently asking for Baekhyun’s permission. Baekhyun hesitated for a moment, but then he grabbed after Donghae’s hands, placing them around his waist, earning a surprised but pleasant smile from the taller. 

Their height difference was not merely as much as between him and  Chanyeol , but it felt good enough for Baekhyun to relax into the touch. Baekhyun had his hands on Donghae’s shoulders, the man’s perfume infiltrating his nose. As they danced,  Donghae kept his distance but the thumb of his right hand was stroking along Baekhyun’s waist. He could not really tell whether he liked that small gesture, somehow it did not feel right and when the thumb managed to reach the skin beneath his shirt, Baekhyun flinched away. To his luck,  Donghae understood the reaction and backed off afterwards, being a gentleman and giving Baekhyun more space to breathe and relax again. 

It was not like Baekhyun did not enjoy the attractive male’s advances, he just did not know how to react properly and what other gestures would follow if he let this one slide. Beom’s words from earlier had poisoned the atmosphere between Donghae and Baekhyun, nervousness creeping through Baekhyun’s body. 

Baekhyun was so caught up in his worries, that he almost overheard  Donghae talking to him, motioning somewhere to his side. Without having understood what he said to him, Baekhyun’s gaze followed to where  Donghae was referring to - Yixing and  Jongdae , making out heavily and not caring about anything around them. 

“That went fast… Come on, let’s go back to our drinks, I’d rather not watch all of that again”,  Donghae called out to Baekhyun, shaking his head and laughing inaudibly. 

Baekhyun nodded, grinning sheepishly and throwing one last look at his entangled friends. 

Back at their booth, he and  Donghae exchanged an amused glance,  Donghae scratching his neck. 

“Well, didn’t surprise me much, but it started sooner than the last times”,  Donghae said, holding a new drink in his hand. 

“I’m glad that  Chanyeol once told me about the two of them, otherwise my eyes would’ve popped out for sure. They really are quite into each other still, aren’t they?” Baekhyun replied with a question. 

“Seems like it, yeah. Not my understanding of moving on, but they must decide what’s good for them”,  Donghae shrugged. 

Baekhyun rested his chin onto his hands, taking a sip through his straw from this position. 

“So, you also don’t think they’ll get back together?” He wanted to know, trying to get another related person’s opinion on the topic. 

“Hmm… not really. They’d be back together already if they’d really love each other like before. Let me point out what I believe will happen. Someday, one of them will meet just the perfect guy, they’ll marry and the one left behind will attend the wedding with a smile on his face and be happy for the other. There won’t be any grudges when that day comes. Maybe a few tears here and there,  but, they’ll definitely remain friends for life”,  Donghae told him, confident with his words. 

Baekhyun did not know both of them long enough, but somehow, he knew that  Donghae was probably not wrong about that. It was an addition to what  Chanyeol had already told him. 

“Sounds plausible. I believe  Chanyeol’s with you on this, he also thinks that they won’t end up together again”, Baekhyun said. 

“That’s because we set bets on it”,  Donghae informed him with a hint of a smirk. 

“You did what? It’s not very nice to bet on such things, is it?” Baekhyun pouted. 

“ Oh come on, don't be a poor sport. It’s all  Jongdae’s and Yixing’s fault. They are the ones who keep jumping into bed with each other, rubbing the fact into our faces whenever it happens. We are allowed to have our fun with that. I set my best horse on it. I’m sure that my cousin will be the one to find his significant other first and  Chanyeol bets against it. I believe our two lovebirds aren’t even oblivious to that bet or the prophecy in general. They’re probably very aware of it, but they won’t really accept it, so… No hard feelings”, Donghae answered.

_ “Two douchebags who bet on other people’s love life… how very fitting” _ , Beom mumbled and Baekhyun could not deny that his brother had a point with that. 

Baekhyun chose not to answer judgmental, leading the conversation elsewhere instead. 

“Talking about  Chanyeol … what is that between you? You  _ were  _ friends? You  _ are  _ friends? Why are you not talking nicely about each other?”

Donghae’s brows jumped up shortly. 

“So, he said something about me?”  Donghae asked and Baekhyun bit his lip, but  Donghae knew the answer already. 

“Typical… Well, we are friends, I guess. At least we once agreed on that, but  somehow we both tend to forget about it every now and then. We solved our differences long ago, unfortunately they keep coming back and in-between. Guess that happens when you get caught making out with your best friend’s boyfriend…”  Donghae said and Baekhyun’s eyes grew wide. 

“…You… you did that to him?” Baekhyun asked, his cute button-nose scrunched up in dislike.

Donghae ran his hand through his hair. 

“No fast conclusions please. First thing, the two of them hadn’t been together for long, and secondly, I got kissed, not the other way around. So, the fault’s not really on me, I was just not fast enough to pull away before  Chanyeol stomped in and threw a punch right into my face… here’s to that”, he explained, Baekhyun’s eyes growing wider. 

“You heard me right, he just punched me in the face. I had no chance to dodge. Got me the best black eye ever, that’s for sure”,  Donghae said with a huff.

Baekhyun took a sip of his drink again, pouting afterwards. Donghae’s eyes were on him. 

“You don’t believe me either, do you?” He asked, seemingly not surprised. 

_ “ _ _ Of course _ _ we don’t. You seem like a douche, I don’t trust a word that comes out of your mouth”, _ Beom huffed inside Baekhyun’s head. 

Baekhyun ignored his brother and replied instead. 

“I don’t know... There are always different versions of a story, depending on who tells it. The truth is somewhere in between I guess.” 

_ “I knew you’d say something like this...” _ Beom sighed. 

Donghae looked down at the table, nodding slowly before he looked up again. 

“I think I can live with that answer”, he chuckled shortly and leaned back in his seat.

\---

The night continued without any disturbing events and even though Baekhyun was extremely tired by the end of their “double-date”, he was happy and pleased with it.  Donghae was very charming, an interesting man and conversationalist, but Baekhyun remained reserved, no matter how much the other had flirted with him. 

It was not because of that situation with  Chanyeol , nor because of Beom’s never-ending complaints about Baekhyun’s counterpart – it was rather a general feeling of uneasiness. Baekhyun did not want to settle for rash conclusions, but for tonight, it was ideal, just the way it was. 

That was how he found himself standing on the Parks’ porch,  Donghae accompanying him to the door while Yixing and  Jongdae were still in the cab, busy with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation...  Donghae glanced back at the car before he turned around with a chuckle, shaking his head. 

“Unbelievable. I’m glad that my room is far from my cousin’s, rumor has it that  Jongdae is quite the noisy one”, he said. 

Baekhyun covered his face at that, whining. 

“ Nahh too much information.” 

There was a short moment of silence between them, interrupted by Beom. 

_ “If you invite him inside, I swear, I’ll scream non-stop" _ , he threatened him. 

“I never intended to...” Baekhyun mumbled to himself. 

“What was that?”  Donghae asked and leaned in a bit, Baekhyun immediately taking a step back, bringing some more space between them. 

“Uhm... I was just wondering if  Chanyeol is home already”, Baekhyun answered. 

Donghae glanced to the driveway where three cars were parked. 

“Well, his car’s there”, he said. 

“He went by cab”, Baekhyun told him and silence followed yet again. 

Donghae seemed to have gotten the clue and put a hand in the pocket of his jeans, the other hand reaching out to touch Baekhyun’s arm. 

“Thanks for going out with me, with us. I had a great time”,  Donghae said and grinned charmingly. 

Baekhyun smiled shyly. 

“Me too. Get home safe and wish these lovebirds a good night from me, if you get the chance to, that is”, he replied with a chuckle and squeezed Donghae’s hand before he turned around and went inside. 

“Good night, Baekhyun”,  Donghae hummed and then went back to the cab.

As soon as he was inside, he breathed out deeply and wearily walked to the kitchen. He was a bit thirsty, the bit of alcohol that was inside of his body lay warm inside of his stomach. He switched on the lighting, immediately getting startled by someone who sat at the kitchen table. 

“ Chanyeol !!” Baekhyun gasped, hand clutching onto his chest while he tried to steady his breathing and heartbeat. 

“You could’ve warned me”, he mumbled, addressing both  Chanyeol and his brother. 

_ “Much more fun this way” _ , Beom sneered. 

Chanyeol just sat there, his long legs stretched out, his clubwear still on. He stared at him, expression grim and tired. Baekhyun felt uneasy and turned his back at him, keeping himself busy with a glass of water. 

“I didn’t expect you to be back home before us. Didn’t you intend on staying the night away?” Baekhyun asked nonchalantly, even though his tone was too high-pitched. 

“Change of plans”,  Chanyeol answered from behind him, voice hollow. 

Baekhyun felt the other’s eyes boring into his back, so he turned around carefully. 

“I see... I hope you still had fun. Jimin seemed like a great guy...” Baekhyun replied, biting his lip afterward. 

Chanyeol tilted his head at that. 

“Hmm. Where’s  Jongdae ?” He asked then. 

“Went home with Yixing... they... reunited for tonight, I guess.  Donghae ...” Baekhyun started answering, but  Chanyeol finished for him. 

“...was with you. I know.  Jongdae sent pictures earlier.” 

Chanyeol sounded as if he did not like what he had received and seen. Baekhyun’s brows raised up at that. 

“Oh, he did? I didn’t even realize he took some”, Baekhyun replied, feeling uneasy about it. 

He just hoped that  Jongdae had not posted them somewhere. If the agency found these pictures, they would barge in here as soon as possible. 

“Do you know if he posted them somewhere...?” 

Chanyeol lifted one of his brows at him, scoffing. 

“Why? Don’t you want all world to see how you flirted with that traitor? Hold your breath,  Jongdae only uses his social accounts for his firefly project, he never uploads private stuff.” 

Baekhyun felt a pang to his heart, but he did not cower this time.

“Are you drunk or why are you even more unbearable and impolite than usual?” 

Chanyeol was too surprised to reply anything, so Baekhyun continued his little rant. 

“I was out with some friends, I had fun. Not more or less. What’s so wrong about that, hm? You were the one who went out with that boytoy. Am  _ I  _ judging or questioning you? No, I’m not, I don’t have the right to meddle with your actions and choices, neither do you when it comes to mine. So, please, give me a break of that!” 

Baekhyun was angry, his delicate hands clenched into fists, his soft features scrunched up in agitation.  Chanyeol sat there, at a loss for words. Not even once had he expected that Baekhyun would snap at him like that. 

_ “Wow, brother... respect” _ , Beom gasped inside of his head. 

And there it was again, whenever his brother congratulated him to something like this, Baekhyun knew that he had done something against his principles. He sighed deeply and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. 

“I... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean all of that. I’m sure that Jimin is a nice guy and he looks very  beautiful, I had no right to call him that. I shouldn’t have raised my voice like that, please forget about it. I’m tired, I should go to bed...” Baekhyun apologized and turned to leave. 

He heard ruffling behind him, a chair squeaking over the tiles. Next thing, he felt a firm grip on his arm. He turned around, staring into  Chanyeol’s troubled face. 

“Why do I always find myself at this point with you? Nobody managed to make me feel so bad about my harsh words before, not even  Jongdae or my mother. What makes you so strong and yet so vulnerable, Baekhyun? It’s almost as if you’re two persons at once...”  Chanyeol spoke up with low voice. 

Warmth dared to settle where  Chanyeol touched him, but panic rose up inside of Baekhyun and he shook off  Chanyeol’s hand. 

“I... I need to sleep. Good n-night,  Chanyeol ”, he rasped out and fled into his room. 

Away from  Chanyeol , away from his touch, away from his questions.

Without knowing,  Chanyeol hit the nail on the head and Baekhyun found it hard to breathe properly.

_ “Elegant move. Now he’ll never wonder about your personality ever again” _ , Beom taunted him.

Baekhyun did not reply to that, still trying to process what happened. It was not a huge thing actually. It was not new that  Chanyeol and Baekhyun bickered with each other every now and then or that Baekhyun found himself uneasy under  Chanyeol’s stares and harsh words. 

But for the first time,  Chanyeol had addressed what Baekhyun was trying to hide so eagerly. No wonder it would backfire sooner or later. Sooner in this case. He had been here for only two weeks! 

_ “Why don’t you just leave then? If it’s so stressing, if you’re scared that they’ll find out what’s wrong with you, why don’t you just go somewhere else?”  _ Beom asked him, having listened to Baekhyun’s thoughts. 

“If I can’t make it here, where else can I? Tell me Beom, how will I be able to live a proper life if I keep on running away from the good things? I could never settle anywhere”, Baekhyun replied in a desperate whisper. 

_ “You’re on the run, Baekhyun. What did you expect? That you could just immediately stop somewhere and wouldn’t have to look back over your shoulder? That’s not how these things work. Not with the agency searching for you” _ , Beom answered, voice serious. 

“We’re not even sure they are, are we?” Baekhyun asked back, biting his lip as he sunk down on his bed. 

_ “They are, I checked it” _ , Beom said with sincere but calm voice. 

“When? How? Did you leave any trails?” Baekhyun asked with rushed voice. 

_ “Pff, please... I know how to avoid it. They didn’t just train you there. I even used  _ _ Jongdae’s _ _ computer for it, no one will ever know, relax”, _ Beom answered. 

“Okay... I trust you... but, let’s not sort this out tonight. I’m tired”, Baekhyun said and then got ready for bed, his eyes growing heavier by every minute.


	8. Reserve

The next morning, Baekhyun got up as late as possible so he would not have to eat breakfast alongside Mrs. Park and Chanyeol. He was quite sure that the nice lady had overheard them arguing last night and he felt bad for disturbing the night’s peace and quiet. As for Chanyeol, he always tried avoiding the man. 

As much as a part of  Chanyeol drew him in, the other part kept him far away. Baekhyun definitely settled for that other part right now. He was still uneasy because of last night. He did not need another confrontation today. Good thing that  Jongdae and he would visit the  reserve this afternoon – more time away from  Chanyeol and his calculating stares. 

When he entered the kitchen, dressed in a light-yellow shirt and a pair of ripped jeans, he found that the table was not empty. There was a plate and breakfast left for him. Grandma Minjee was sitting close by in her wheelchair. Baekhyun smiled and walked up to her, softly touching her shoulder as he sat down. Her eyes were staring into emptiness but Baekhyun knew that a suppressed part of her was recognizing him, maybe even wanting to say something. 

“Good morning, granny. It’s beautiful weather outside today, why are you still inside? Chanyeol usually brings you out to the porch I thought...” Baekhyun spoke up, fondly looking at her and stroking strains of hair back into her bun. 

_ “He wanted you to have company...”  _ Beom said all of a sudden and Baekhyun halted in his movement.

“How do you know? Did you eavesdrop again?” Baekhyun asked with his brows furrowed. 

_ “No, she told me. Chanyeol didn’t say anything, but she guessed that this was his intention – leaving her here for you to have some company for breakfast” _ , Beom answered nonchalantly. 

“How come you know this... you... did you...?” Baekhyun asked, even though he already knew the answer. 

Beom had reached out to Grandma Minjee’s subconscious, the part of her that was still intact but nobody had access to it. Nobody but Beom, who was also locked up in a body without the ability to properly communicate with the outside world. 

_ “I did. She’s actually such a sweet lady, quite eloquent and smart” _ , Beom answered, not feeling any shame. 

“You had no right to do so, you can’t invade her privacy like that. It’s wrong!” Baekhyun argued, trying to reason with him. 

_ “No, it’s not. She allowed me to! As soon as she noticed my presence, I explained it to her and she actually understood. Now I’m conversing with her whenever she feels like it. How is that wrong?” _ Beom replied, feeling falsely accused. 

“But... how can I be sure you’re not lying to me? I... I don’t want her to be scared of your presence. Her privacy and dignity, you can’t toy with these things out of boredom”, Baekhyun said. 

_ “Who do you take me for? Here I am, opening up to you, telling you that I found a connection to her and all you do is doubting me. That’s not right!” _ Beom whined and Baekhyun felt bad immediately.

“I... I’m sorry. I guess I was just so surprised”, Baekhyun mumbled, eyes on Grandma Minjee again. 

“It’s just... so unfair. She’s trapped because of her dementia, can’t talk with her loved ones and here you are, chatting with her”, Baekhyun added. 

_ “Yeah, a lot of things are unfair, Baek... Just look at us two, getting on each other’s nerves on a daily basis because we can’t live separately. I never had an own body to begin with…” _ , Beom sighed. 

“But... I don’t want to be without you either, Beommie...” Baekhyun pouted cutely and he imagined his brother’s hand patting his back soothingly. 

_ “I know, I know...” _ __

After Baekhyun had finished breakfast, he maneuvered Grandma Minjee onto the porch, making sure that the thin blanket was covering her legs properly. 

“I’ll look after the sheep now, I’ll step by before I go down to the horses”, he promised her and then walked off to the stable. 

“Hey y’all, I’m sorry for letting you out so late”, he greeted the sheep and goats, opening the gate to the meadow before he walked over to the baby sheep. 

“Hey Rennie, how are you? Missed me much?” He asked and stroked over his small head, the sheep baaing in contentment.

“Let’s look after your leg first. Stay calm, little one”, he spoke softly and inspected the injury. 

“Oh wow, looks so much better already, I’m so glad! Come on, we’ll go out now, the sun is pleasantly warm today.” 

While the animals were grazing outside, Baekhyun finished his chores inside the stable. Afterward he said bye to the animals, moving on to play with the two dogs, feeding them as well before he walked by the main house. 

He looked after Grandma Minjee again, finding her on a different spot on the porch, where she did not sit directly in the sun. Probably Chanyeol or Mrs. Park had stepped by just before him and moved her there. 

Baekhyun kept her company for a bit, telling her about Rennie and explaining why he named him like this. 

_ “She likes the name. She asked if you could bring Rennie to her” _ , Beom said then, his voice friendly. 

“Really? She wants that? Of course, of course. I’ll get him immediately”, Baekhyun chirped and ran over to the meadow, picking up the little sheep. 

When he was with Grandma Minjee again, he carefully placed Rennie on her lap. With his leg, Rennie could not go anywhere, so it should be safe for a bit. 

“Have a good time together. We see each other for lunch again”, he said and walked away again, down the road to see the horses he was supposed to look after.

There, in his entire graze, stood Quicksilver, right on the first paddock. He was alone, but Baekhyun could see Chanyeol at a farer paddock, fixing parts of the fence. 

“Guess it’s just you and me then”, Baekhyun spoke up and joined Quicksilver in the paddock. 

The grey stallion was looking at him. His eyes were warm, his stature relaxed as Baekhyun approached him, stroked over his blaze. 

“Good boy”, Baekhyun cooed and fondled his neck. 

He noticed a blanket lying in the grass. 

“Did Chanyeol try to ride you again? Doesn’t seem like you let him… What is it with you and him? He treats you so well, always looks after you. Why are you not letting him ride you?” Baekhyun asked and tilted his head. 

_ “You do know that he won’t answer you, right?”  _ Beom mocked him. 

But Baekhyun did not care. He liked talking to animals, they never answered with harsh words.

“Don’t you like the way he looks, is it that? He has quite funny ears, doesn’t he?” Baekhyun asked with a chuckle and picked up the blanket, cleaning it a bit. 

“Maybe it’s his smell? His aftershave smells too much like cedar, I know.” 

_ “Now you’re being ridiculous” _ , Beom huffed.

“So what? Just let me do my thing and you do yours”, Baekhyun murmured and continued talking to the horse. 

After some minutes, he carefully put the blanket onto Quicksilver’s back, stroking through his mane.

“What do you think, shall we give it a try? I promise I’ll be good, am not heavy either”, Baekhyun spoke charmingly, patting the stallion’s back. 

At first, Quicksilver looked at him skeptically, but then he turned to the side, offering his back to Baekhyun. The boy was so amazed, that he did not get up at first try. 

“S-sorry, I’ll do it again”, he mumbled and then heaved himself up onto his back. 

He was inexperienced at riding, but he felt strangely safe on the  chongma .

He softly spurred him, Quicksilver walking a few meters. Baekhyun chuckled happily, feeling free and powerful on the back of him. 

_ “Seems like you’re a natural” _ , Beom said approvingly which made Baekhyun smile even more. 

_ “Why don’t you go faster?” _ Beom challenged him. 

“No, no, this is enough for now, I don’t want to overdo it”, Baekhyun answered. 

_ “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of falling? You worked for the intelligence corps, you know how to fire a gun and you’re an expert on hapkido. There shouldn’t be anything for you to be scared of now” _ , Beom teased him. 

“You’re right... I’ll try it”, Baekhyun mumbled and urged Quicksilver into trot. 

Baekhyun tried his best to keep up with the movements, but it was harder than it looked from when he had watched Jongdae and Chanyeol doing so. 

“This is amazing. I really want to learn this properly”, Baekhyun said cheerfully but made the horse go slower again. 

_ “Uh-oh, Chanyeol saw you... He’s coming over now...” _ Beom warned him and Baekhyun glanced over his shoulder, seeing Chanyeol rushing over to them. 

“He probably won’t approve of this”, Baekhyun mumbled with worry and bit his lip nervously. 

He remained on the horse’s back though, not wanting to go down now that they have made such a connection. It didn’t take long until Chanyeol rushed into the paddock, taking long steps toward them. 

“What do you think you’re doing?!” He barked, looking up at Baekhyun, his round eyes blown in anger. 

“Riding a horse, silly”, Baekhyun teased him, surprised about his sudden confidence. 

Chanyeol was fuming. 

“You'll come down right now, before he throws you off!” 

Baekhyun tilted his head. “No, I don’t think so. We’re bonding at the moment, you shouldn’t disturb us just because you’re jealous”, Baekhyun replied and smirked slightly. 

“Jealous? We’re not in kindergarten. Get off him, now!” Chanyeol demanded, pointing at him. 

Baekhyun only leaned forward, lying down on Quicksilver’s neck, hugging him. The stallion snorted in contentment and walked a few steps away from Chanyeol.

Chanyeol opened and closed his mouth, unable to articulate his anger and frustration in a proper way. 

“If you’d stop frowning and talking so harshly, maybe he’ll be less hostile. Come on, give it a try”, Baekhyun spoke up with warm voice, trying to convince the angry giant in another way. 

Chanyeol glared at him again, but then he looked at Quicksilver, his features softening. Baekhyun softly pinched Quicksilver’s sides, made him walk over. 

“Don’t be scared, chongma. Chanyeol doesn’t bite, he only barks and grumbles a lot. We’ll both get used to it”, Baekhyun mumbled into the horse’s ear, but Chanyeol heard it nonetheless, eyes shortly shooting up to him, but Baekhyun only continued smiling. 

Chanyeol carefully reached out, touching Quicksilver’s blaze. Baekhyun continued to whisper soothing words into the stallion’s ear, stroking over his neck. Chanyeol was grinning from one ear to another, happy about that newfound closeness with Quicksilver. It was when Baekhyun’s and Chanyeol’s hands touched accidentally, that Baekhyun sat up straight again, cheeks turning into a sweet pink. 

“S-sorry...” he mumbled, but Chanyeol shook his head. 

“Don’t be. I guess I should be the one to say so... not because of this. Because of my behavior last night, or rather in general”, Chanyeol said, his voice unusually soft. 

Baekhyun was utterly surprised. The other had been angry just a minute ago and now he was full of remorse. Was Baekhyun seeing things? Was the sun too warm maybe?

Chanyeol noticed his irritation and scratched his neck. 

“Don’t be so surprised, this is not the first time for me to apologize to you now, is it? I don’t know how you always get me to this point, but I guess your way works better than mine – at least with Quicksilver here”, Chanyeol said, a little smile visible on his lips. 

_ “Unbelievable... what happened to grumpy-Chan??” _ Beom asked inside of Baekhyun’s head, seemingly surprised as well. 

Baekhyun did not know, but honestly, he was too happy to continue asking that question.  So, he decided to relish in the moment. He carefully swung his leg to the side, not so gracefully hopping off Quicksilver’s back. 

He stood next to Chanyeol now, feeling as small as ever, but he straightened his back and focused on his task. He grabbed after Chanyeol’s hand, the latter flinching slightly, but without pulling his hand away. Instead, he let himself be guided by Baekhyun, who seemed to be an undeniable natural, a horse whisperer, even though Chanyeol had years and years of first-hand experience. His hand ended up right beneath Quicksilver’s left ear, strains of his mane summoning there. 

“He’s got a weak spot there. I found it last week. He really likes getting stroked there. And, don’t speak too loud around him, he doesn’t like the noise. It’s not your fault, but I believe your deep voice scares him a bit. You should try to talk quieter and slower”, Baekhyun advised him, still leading the tall male’s hand. 

Chanyeol did not say anything, watching where he put his hand and checking Quicksilver’s reaction. Baekhyun found that it was time to take the next step, so he carefully took his hand away, putting it onto Chanyeol’s back instead, softly shoving him to the side.

“Now, try getting onto his back. Keep on talking while doing so”, Baekhyun instructed. 

Chanyeol gave him an insecure glance, but then he heaved himself onto the horse’s back, his movement swift and experienced. Quicksilver neighed lowly and made a couple of steps to the side, but both Chanyeol and Baekhyun eased him.

“I can’t believe it. Finally... after so many weeks of trying... Baekhyun, you’re a genius!” Chanyeol spoke up happily, smiling brightly. 

The sight was completely new to Baekhyun, but he enjoyed it a lot. Chanyeol looked very handsome like that and Baekhyun could not keep himself from staring. 

“No need to flatter me”, Baekhyun replied and nervously fanned himself some air. 

It was really warm out here under the sun, under Chanyeol’s happy gaze. Chanyeol kept on smiling, getting the horse to move around in the paddock. He was still hesitant with his commands, but the way he sat on Quicksilver looked a lot more professional and confident than what Baekhyun had been like. 

“He’s so strong. I bet his stamina is incredible! Once I got him ready for the ride, he’ll become the best I’ve ever trained. I can see it already!” Chanyeol cheered, affectionately and proudly patting the stallion’s back. 

Baekhyun frowned. “What do you mean, he’ll become the best?” 

“At racing. I thought you’ve seen the pictures and trophies at home - or at least mother or Jongdae told you? No? Well, I used to send horses to races, if one was promising of course. Some of them won a few races and then I sold them off for good money. Quicksilver is the first promising candidate in two years”, Chanyeol said and got off the horse’s back, feeling that it was enough for today.

Baekhyun clenched his fists. “I still don’t understand... You  _ send _ the horses...?” He asked, a little confused pout on his lips. 

“Yeah, of course. I can’t ride them myself. I’m way too tall and heavy. You know what jockeys are?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun who nodded. 

“Jongdae used to be one when he was still in his teens. After him I had a... well, boyfriend who was our horses’ jockey. In these last five years it hasn’t been going too well with either the horses or jockeys. With Quicksilver here, we might have a chance again. He could win us some great money and we can finally fix a few things on the farm”, Chanyeol explained, glints of hope in his eyes.

Baekhyun though, was not happy with this newfound information. 

“So you make him race against others, make him more valuable and then you just give him away to the best bidder? Is that what all this is about? You can’t be serious”, he huffed out, anger boiling up in his chest. 

_ “Hyunnie? Brother? What is going on?” _ Beom asked him, not getting why he was so upset all of a sudden.

Chanyeol seemed surprised as well. 

“Pardon me? That’s how these things work, Baekhyun”, the man shrugged and walked out of the paddock. 

Baekhyun, with his visibly shorter legs, sprinted after him. 

“Don’t you get it? Quicksilver has been through so much and you want him to take part in some silly competition against other horses? Where people don’t give a damn about the horse’s well-being as long as it earns them money? You want to take him to a place where it’s loud and crowded? And then, when you’re done with him, you’ll just give him away as if he’s some... car?” Baekyhun called out in anger, making Chanyeol stop, spinning around furiously. 

“Who do you take me for? I always look after the horses’ well-being. I never treat them badly. Jeju horses are strong, they don’t shy away from such things and I know very well that he’s not just some car!” Baekhyun stomped his feet. 

“Oh yeah? Quicksilver is different, the pressure will be too much for him. I know it! And he also doesn’t want some rich new owner! He just got comfortable around here, you can’t take his home away from him like that”, Baekhyun argued. 

There was a dark and angry glint in Chanyeol’s eyes, he felt wronged, his pride hurt. 

“You make it sound as if I’d cart him somewhere by next month. He’ll definitely stay here for the next two years. He still needs proper training and I’ll definitely make sure that he’s ready for all the noise and pressure around him. I know what I’m doing”, Chanyeol assured him.

Baekhyun did not know what to say, but he was sure that he did not like what future awaited the stallion he grew fond of. 

“But... This... this is not right! What if he doesn’t want all that? What if he just wants to be a simple horse with a good meadow and other horses to be with? What if he doesn’t want to go through all this training and...” Baekhyun went on, his voice desperate and raspy.

Worry replaced the remaining anger in Chanyeol’s gaze. 

“Baekhun, are you alright? What’s this about?” He asked and took a step towards him. __

_ “Brother, stop the rambling, you’re not making any sense” _ , Beom carefully spoke up, sensing his distress. 

“No. No, just let me be! You don’t understand anything – neither of you!” Baekhyun sobbed loudly and turned away from Chanyeol, hurrying back to the main house. 

Chanyeol stood there in confusion, brows furrowed. 

“...Neither of you? ...Baekhyun, come back here! Baekhyun!” He called out, but Baekhyun just wanted to be alone right now and  Chanyeol was not the right person to meddle with that. 

Chanyeol stayed back with a lot of questions whirling around in his head, watching until the fluffy blonde mob of hair was out of sight before he got back to work.

\---

It was two hours later and Baekhyun was still sulking in his room. Beom had not said anything to him ever since he left the paddock. The trails of tears had already dried on Baekhyun’s pretty face and he had been able to unclench his hands around an hour ago. 

Now he was sitting on the soothingly cold ground beside his bed, stroking over the marks that his nails had left on his palms. They were not deep, but they momentarily covered the scars of the past from whenever he had hurt himself like that. 

He felt so... lonely and small. 

There was a soft knock on the door, followed by Jongdae’s chirpy but careful voice. 

“Baek? May I come in?” He asked. 

Baekhyun rubbed over his face and stood up, croaking. “Yes, yes of course.” 

Jongdae slowly opened the door and peaked inside. 

“Is it safe?” He asked with a glint in his eyes.

Baekhyun sighed, feeling ashamed because of his outburst on Chanyeol earlier. Jongdae had probably heard of it. 

“Sure, sure.” Baekhyun said but avoided the other’s gaze, sitting down on his bed with yet another sigh. 

Jongdae joined him, softly touching his back. 

“ Chanyeol told me what happened as soon as I was home... He wasn’t even angry, which surprised me a lot. He was rather... worried and told me to look after you. Do you  wanna talk about it with me?” 

Baekhyun pondered. He really wanted Jongdae to know that he trusted him, but Baekhyun just could not tell him about all the truths and secrets he kept. He just could not. 

But he also did not want to lie or make up too many stories. Jongdae did not deserve that. 

“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather not... I don’t want to burden you with my emotional baggage”, he answered, smiling weakly. 

Jongdae’s eyes were on him, scrutinizing. 

“Okay, I understand. But, please keep in mind - I can be a very good listener. You’re my friend, Baekhyun. I’m here for you.” Baekhyun looked at him, nodding thankfully. 

“I know. Thank you, Dae. I’m so happy to have met you.” 

Jongdae waved it off. 

“Don’t say this just yet. I can be an annoying little tease if I want to”, he winked and pinched Baekhyun’s cheek.   
  
“Well... now that you say it, maybe I should find myself a friend who won’t tease and annoy me”, Baekhyun replied with a grin. 

“Ohhh yooouuu! Don’t you dare. No one is better than the one and only Park Jongdae!” He huffed playfully and pinched Baekhyun’s side now. 

“Stop stop! I’m sensible there!” Baekhyun whined and hurried away from him. 

Jongdae got up as well, wincing at the process before he sat down again. 

“Okay okay... no running around right now. Tzz... Not a good idea”, he hissed out between his teeth. 

Baekhyun carefully approached him. 

“Are you in pain? Did you hurt yourself?” He asked in worry as helped him up. 

Jongdae looked up at him with big eyes and raised brows. 

“ Oh come on... have you already forgotten where I’ve spent the night? Or rather with whom?” He asked and Baekhyun opened his mouth in a silent gasp. 

“Right... you’ve been with Yixing-hyung”, Baekhyun realized with a blush. 

Jongdae wiggled his brows at that. 

“Correct", he snickered.

Baekhyun did not know a lot about sex – mostly because he had not experienced it himself. He had learned about it in school and later read about it of course. But Beom hated the topic, so it was always both annoying and embarrassing whenever Baekhyun tried to find out more. In the end he just let it be, telling himself he was probably supposed to stay a virgin forever. Which did not mean he was not curious at that moment.

“So… how was it?” He asked sheepishly and Jongdae's grin widened. 

“It’s always great with Yixing. He’s very attentive and… talented, if you know what I mean. We match so well when it comes to having fun. As a couple… hm… not so much anymore. But who cares? We’re young, nothing to regret, right?” He replied and put an arm around Baekhyun. 

“As long as the both of you are happy", Baekhyun shrugged. 

“What’s with that look? Have you never had a friend with benefits before? A boy as pretty as you, the guys must’ve swooned over you back in Seoul", Jongdae said. 

Baekhyun bit his lip. 

“No, it really wasn’t like that", he answered truthfully. 

“What? No one? How can it be? Have you lived in a cave?” Jongdae asked with an exaggerated huff. 

“I…I moved around a lot as a teen and… nobody wanted to be with the awkward new kid. And then… after graduation I’ve been around many very… special guys. They didn’t like me either.”

_ “That’s not completely true... What about Minho? He surely liked you...” _ Beom mumbled, making Baekhyun’s heart feel heavy.

Baekhyun did not want to think about this. He did not want to remind himself of his partner. So he chose not to and shrugged it off.

It felt weird to talk about his nonexistent love life. He could not explain the reasons to his new friend, instead he fed Jongdae with crumbs of information yet again.

There was a mix of surprise, incomprehension and pity in the other’s eyes when he replied. 

“Guess they were all complete douches then. You are so amazing… I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t like you, I really don’t. How about we’ll find you a nice guy here? I know for a fact that a certain Lee Donghae grew a liking to you.” 

“I…I don’t know... This isn’t a good idea", Baekhyun stammered.

“Why not? He’s hot, he’s fun, he’s charming and well-mannered. I’m not saying you should marry him. Just… enjoy your youth”, Jongdae suggested.

The two of them left the house then, heading to  Jongdae’s car. Baekhyun had almost forgotten that they were meant to meet up with  Wonpil and  Younghyun at the firefly  reserve .

_ “I really like Jongdae. But his recent suggestion is just bullshit" _ , Beom said all of a sudden, Baekhyun flinching slightly as he got into the Jongdae’s car. 

“You’re really not into these things, huh? I respect that, don’t worry. I’ll stop talking about the topic”, Jongdae said after noticing Baekhyun’s uncomfortable behavior. 

He did not say it in an annoyed or offended way, sounding rather understanding and Baekhyun was glad. 

“Thanks…” Baekhyun mumbled and smiled softly before Jongdae winked at him and started the car.

_ “He really is an angel after all. He knows when to stop digging. I think you never met such a good person before. He’s funny, kind… I feel like he truly cares about you” _ , Beom spoke up, his voice warm. 

Baekhyun smiled, turning his gaze out of the window. Never before did Beom say such a thing about a person that came into their life. So, this was a first and Baekhyun definitely planned on holding onto that. Jongdae really was a wonderful person and it was easy to be around him without feeling too burdened. 

Sure, there was Baekhyun’s past, the secrets he kept and the natural curiosity that his personality awoke in other people. But Jongdae seemed to know when it was right to keep his distance or cheer him up. Baekhyun valued this a lot. 

After half an hour drive, the boys arrived at their destination. The old butterfly esplanade, meant to become their firefly reservation, was close to the water. It was a rather secluded area but not too much off trail. 

They got out of the car, Baekhyun taking in the sight in front of him. 

“So that’s it? Wow, it looks amazing! Like the perfect place. So much glass and that dome-like structure… It’s really great”, Baekhyun said in awe. 

The place was bigger and in a better condition than expected.  Jongdae smiled proudly. 

“Right? Right? It’s amazing indeed. With the investor that Wonpil found we’ll be able to keep it running for a whole year, not to mention all the other donations we’ve received already. Baek, that baby will grow up so well, I know it”, he said with total conviction. 

Baekhyun was usually skeptic when it came to these things, but this time he let himself get carried away by the other’s enthusiasm. He needed to believe in something, even if it was “just” some project. He looked at Jongdae, his face full of support. 

“I know it as well and I’ll do everything to help you guys”, Baekhyun promised. 

Jongdae hopped over to him, throwing his short arms around Baekhyun. 

“You are the best, really!” 

The boys chuckled in unison, lifting their gazes towards the street when a car approached, halting right beside  Jongdae’s . It was  Wonpil and his boyfriend Younghyun. 

The latter got out from the driver’s seat, waving at them and smiling brightly. 

“Hey there, we’ll be right with you”, he called out and then went to the other side, opening the door for his boyfriend, helping him outside. 

The way he held his hand over  Wonpil’s head reminded Baekhyun of the way police officers in  American movies always put criminals inside cars and he wondered why he did it this way.

Both of them looked neatly dressed.  Younghyun with his white shirt, leather jacket and perfectly fitting jeans.  Wonpil with a chic and cute rosy flannel shirt and white pants. They came over while holding hands,  Younghyun carrying that little backpack with him again. 

Baekhyun supposed that most of its content belonged to Wonpil though – just like the toothbrush last time they met up. Jongdae and Baekhyun were smiling brightly, greeting them with polite bows, Jongdae even shortly hugging them. 

When Jongdae had retrieved from them again, Wonpil pointed at him. 

“You were with Yixing-hyung”, he stated and Jongdae’s eyes went wide, cheeks reddening. 

“Wh-what... I... how can you tell?” He asked flabbergasted. 

“His shower gel and shampoo. Only he uses the combination of lavender and ginseng. Such a lapse of taste”, Wonpil answered precisely, mumbling the last part. 

While both  Jongdae and Baekhyun were coping with the explanation,  Younghyun was chuckling lowly, his eyes glinting. 

_ “That boy is lit” _ , Beom said and Baekhyun smiled fondly. 

Wonpil, unperturbed, walked towards the old butterfly esplanade, pulling his boyfriend with him. Jongdae and Baekhyun hurried to keep up with them when Wonpil stopped all of a sudden, staring at a broken glass tile from the globe.

“Oh no. Oh no. That is not good. Broken glass, Younghyun!” Wonpil shrieked, holding both hands against his head as if he needed to calm himself. 

He was stepping from one leg to the other when  Younghyun carefully turned towards him, holding onto his elbows. 

“Don’t worry, bunny. Probably just some teens who fooled around here. It won’t bring any bad luck. You weren’t the one who broke it. Or were you?”  Younghyun asked with a little smirk, lifting his brow. 

“Of course not. I never break things willingly!” Wonpil huffed and fisted his small hands, putting them against his boyfriend’s chest. 

Younghyun softly took them in his, starting to kiss every knuckle so he would unclench. Baekhyun was staring at the scene, unable to turn his eyes away and  Jongdae sheepishly lead him away from the couple. 

“Give them a moment, Wonpil always gets very upset over broken glass. They’ll join us in a bit”, he said and Baekhyun nodded without replying anything. 

He understood very well that Wonpil’s behavior was quite unique, special in a way that did not faze him in any way. He rather felt... connected to the other.

Jongdae fiddled with a bunch of heavy keys, successfully holding up the right one after a few seconds, opening the first door. They entered a light entrance hall. There was a counter in the center, two big doors right next to it – entrance and exit of the globe. Even an old souvenir shop was situated at the side, giant drawings of butterflies decorating the advertising posters around it. A couple of suites lead to what looked like a kiosk. 

The interior was not in a bad shape and Baekhyun was quite amazed by it all, figuring that they had enough project donations to rent the place for a whole year. Once they would have equipped everything in a proper way, with the firefly  reserve as the center of attraction, they would definitely find more donators who would see the sprouts of something worthwhile and invest some money for the good cause. 

“Dae, it’s so great already. I’m impressed, you probably can’t even realize how much. Everything you told me, the plans you showed me, it’ll turn out amazing here”, Baekhyun spoke up. 

_ “I think so as well. I wasn’t too sure of it before, but now that we’re here – well done Jongdae _ ”, Beom agreed and Baekhyun wished he could tell Jongdae about it. 

It was rare to hear his brother’s compliment. 

“Yes, it’s the perfect base for our project. We can turn this little foundling into a true gem, with all the donations and the other supporters who’ll help alongside, the  reserve will become the place to be”,  Jongdae announced proudly and swirled around in the entrance hall. 

Skipping from one part to the other, Baekhyun followed him attentively, listening to how his chirpy friend visualized all his ideas with words.

It was when they were ready to enter the glass globe when the boyfriends joined them again,  Wonpil seeming calmer and  Younghyun as imperturbable as ever.

Inside of the globe, Baekhyun immediately felt as if he had set foot into the land of destruction. There were giant, tropical plants and trees scattered around. But they were not green and fresh as one would have expected. Most of them were dried out and frostbitten, stumps and brown leaves covering the pathways. 

Baekhyun heard a sniff and low mumbles coming from Wonpil, it seemed like he himself was not the only one who had a hard time looking at the view in front of them. 

“I... I don’t understand”, he voiced out, looking at Jongdae. 

“There was no one to look after the plants. The organization of the butterfly  reserve went bankrupt and the proprietor didn’t want to pay for the plants’ nurture, so they didn’t survive the last two years. Tropical plants need warmth, moisture and water. Winters on  Jeju can be quite cold and with all the broken glass...”,  Jongdae motioned to the roof and  Wonpil flinched, “...they didn’t stand a chance. But now it can make space for something new, can’t it?” He finished with optimism. 

Baekhyun was ever amazed how positive Jongdae could be. 

“Like Phoenix from the ashes. Let us welcome the new year, full of things that never were.” Wonpil spoke up, kneeling next to a dead plant, keeping a proper distance from it. 

“Well said, babe”,  Younghyun said and patted his fluffy head. 

“I quoted”, Wonpil replied.

“I know”,  Younghyun told him with a grin.

Baekhyun thought about what the boys had said. 

“It’s still sad. They should’ve survived. Someone should’ve taken them away, somewhere safe”, Baekhyun mumbled, feeling emotional. 

“Yes, of course. But now it’s too late, we can only make the best out of it. These plants wouldn’t have been proper for our  reserve anyways. Too tropical. We’ll need a pond and strong plants that can take different temperatures. We can’t fund anything extraordinary, plus, the fireflies won’t mind. They need similar surroundings to their current environment anyways”,  Jongdae explained, walking a few steps forward until a fallen tree blocked his way. 

“Yixing and Donghae offered their help as well. They know a guy who can help us with the new plants and they’ll advertise our project during summer courses as well, so maybe we can have a bunch of riding students over here too”, he continued. 

“So many people... I don’t know if that’s a good idea...” Wonpil murmured hesitantly, fiddling with the hem of his shirt without looking at anyone or anything in particular. 

“We’ll supervise everything. Nothing will get out of our hands. Don’t worry, Pil”, Jongdae soothed him. 

“I... I don’t like the strangers. Too many new faces, new voices. I don’t know, I don’t know”, Wonpil mumbled, nervously rocking from side to side. 

“It’s not necessary that you meet up with everyone. We can split the tasks properly and work in different shifts”, Jongdae immediately brought up, determined to find a compromise with his partner. 

Wonpil’s hand shot up. 

“I’ll bring the fireflies. I’ll bring the lights. They trust me, always. I’ll bring them, they’ll come when I tell them to... Yes,  yes I will do so. I’ll do so”, he said, an excited glint in his eyes. 

“Baekhyun, he will be of help. Yes? Yes. They will like him and the friend. Him and the light. Yes, they will like them”, Wonpil added, shortly glancing towards Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun was confused by  Wonpil’s words, feeling a shudder crawling over his skin when he realized the meaning behind them. 

The friend? The light? Them? Did  Wonpil know that Beom was there?

Before he could say or ask anything though, Wonpil walked towards the exit. 

“16:30, time for lychee juice, then restroom”, he mumbled. 

Younghyun gave  Jongdae and Baekhyun a knowing glance and then went after him, already fishing a juice bottle out of the backpack. 

Jongdae looked at Baekhyun. 

“He has certain times for his routines. He never changes them, otherwise he has a hard time dealing with everything else. If one certain thing, no matter the coverage, doesn’t go the way he’s used to, he tends to snap. It’s gotten a lot better while growing up though. With the help of  Younghyun he made so much progress as well, but it’s still hard for him”, Jongdae explained and Baekhyun listened attentively. 

He himself could not imagine how Wonpil must be feeling, but he wholeheartedly respected the boy’s obstacles in life, even though these seemed little and insignificant to a majority of people. Baekhyun was no one to judge. He himself came with baggage as well. In the end, none of them was less amiable because of it. 

_ “It’s what lets us stand out, Baekkie” _ , Beom spoke softly, unusual warmth in his words. 

“I see. Why lychee juice though?” He wanted to know.

Jongdae chuckled lowly. 

“We got it after school, we were around ten years old, I guess. He never drank it before, but I got him to try and from this day on he always wanted it at exact 16:30. Every day on our way to the bus that would take us home, we stopped at a kiosk and bought it. Even on weekends. The kiosk was closed on Sundays of course, but I always bought more the day before”,  Jongdae answered, reminiscing. 

“That’s a lovely story. You’ve been a great friend back then already”, Baekhyun said. 

“Nawww... Baek, stop flattering me. I’m sure you’d have done just the same”, Jongdae replied and then they walked to the entrance hall again.

Younghyun stood there, looking around curiously while waiting for  Wonpil , who was at the restroom. 

“I must say, there’s still a lot to do. But I’m sure you guys will turn this place upside down in all the best ways. I’ll help you wherever I can, of course. This means so much to Pil. He doesn’t talk that much, but whenever it’s about the project, he babbles like a little waterfall. I’m really thankful that you took him as your partner for it,  Jongdae ”,  Younghyun spoke up.

“Don’t thank me for it. It’s great working with Wonpil. I feel blessed that you’re both helping me, I know how busy you are with your music and the channel. I’m also glad that I have Baekkie now, another person who can support it all. My brother said that this is probably another failing project of mine, but this time I’m sure it isn’t”, Jongdae replied determinedly. 

“He really said so? Oh man... your brother is definitely not like you at all. I hope he’ll make up his mind soon”,  Younghyun said. 

“Yeah, Chanyeol certainly is a brainteaser. Always so pessimistic, grumpy and introverted. I love him, but I wish he’d open up more”, Jongdae groaned. 

“Well, he seemed like doing so when I saw him partying last night. Did he tell you that we met?”  Younghyun asked and his almond-formed eyes went wide. 

Wonpil joined them again, looking from one to another as if he was trying to figure out what they were talking about. Baekhyun was curious as well, so he shifted around nervously. 

“No, he didn’t tell. I only saw him for a few minutes today. Did he say anything to you?” Jongdae asked Baekhyun, who shook his head vigorously. 

“I once suggested the club to you and him.  So I guess that’s why he went there. I know that he usually isn’t into the fancy and expensive establishments, but he probably wanted a place to fit his date. That boy he was with, he looked like the more demanding and extravagant type. But I guess it worked out well, they seemed to be having a lot of fun”,  Younghyun said and wiggled his brows. 

“He means that they kissed. Lips to lips”, Wonpil explained, his ears turning red.

The information sunk deep into Baekhyun’s mind, crawling down his body and leaving a numb coldness. 

“K-Kissed?” He and Jongdae asked at once, the other sounding a lot happier than Baekhyun. 

“I just said that, haven’t I? Why do I need to repeat?”  Wonpil asked towards  Younghyun , not getting their surprise. 

“Is this such a big thing?”  Younghyun asked with raised brows, not answering his boyfriend. 

Baekhyun and  Jongdae looked at each other, then back at the boyfriends.  Wonpil tugged on  Younghyun ’s sleeve, demanding an answer, to which  Younghyun just shrugged.  Jongdae waved it off though. 

“Well, my brother had problems getting involved with someone, so I’m kinda happy he found someone like Jimin for now. Maybe he can lower his walls a bit, become less serious. Baekhyun was probably surprised that a grumpy person like Chanyeol got kissed while partying. Right?” He asked and looked at Baekhyun who nervously rummaged through his hair. 

“...Sure, that’s it. I... didn’t expect that Chanyeol was actually able to... enjoy anything and have fun”, Baekhyun made up. 

_ “Liar” _ , Beom taunted and Baekhyun wished he could tell him to shut up. 

He felt eyes on him and as he looked over, he found Wonpil staring at him – or rather past him.

“W-When will the new investor step by?” He was fast to ask, trying to change the focus and avoid the topic Park Chanyeol. 

“Jongdae and I will meet her on Wednesday, she’ll sign the contract I’ve prepared”, Wonpil answered calmly. 

“Pil, buddy... I thought we’ve talked about this. She can’t sign that contract of yours. It’s too... precise. You know what I mean? Not that she’s dumb, but she won’t even understand half of it. And that part about not wearing long earrings when coming here? That’s not even relevant for our project. She’s a girl, of course she’ll wear such earrings. It’s her right to do so, you can’t forbid it”,  Jongdae said, voice insistent but also warm.

Wonpil pouted at that. 

“I can. These things are dangerous, she could get stuck somewhere and then her ears could get ripped off and...” he started, but  Jongdae interrupted him. 

“What the heck? Who told you that?” He asked, appalled by Wonpil’s scenario. 

“I saw it on TV and read articles afterwards. This has happened”, Wonpil replied confidently. 

“Before you two continue discussing, she already agreed to the terms.  Wonpil sent her the ultimate version after changing it around 30 times...”  Younghyun told them with a little smile. 

“33 times”, Wonpil was fast to correct him. 

Baekhyun was speechless. That boy really was something. 

“I see... that’s good then. I guess? It seems like you found the perfect investor. I’m so excited to meet her”,  Jongdae chirped. 

“There’s no such thing as a perfect investor. People who give money always expect something in return. She is no exception”, Wonpil mumbled unconcernedly. 

“Why? What does she want? I thought she wanted to give the money for free” Baekhyun asked in surprise. 

“A music festival for her birthday, which will be in 90 days”,  Wonpil answered. 

“Wow, so precise”,  Jongdae whistled in astonishment.

“She wants us to help her organize it all and become the secret headliners...”  Younghyun added.

“How come she asked for something like that? I’m a little confused here...” Baekhyun admitted.

Jongdae turned to him, trying to explain.

“They’re well known for their music on the island, in the whole country actually. With their channel, they reached quite a lot of people but...” Jongdae started but hesitated to continue, throwing careful glances at the boyfriends.

“...we don’t play in front of an audience. Pil doesn’t like it, so it’s only me who performs on stages, at parties and such. Our songs are available for everyone, not our live performances. I rarely accept jobs and if I do, I always bring a befriended musician. But my friends all have their own schedules, it’s not often that we get together and perform. In the end I prefer making music with only my Pil, so we’re not too fond of that whole festival idea... Right, baby?”  Younghyun said and pulled  Wonpil close to himself, pecking the side of his head before nuzzling his hair.

“Right. We are not convinced that this festival is something good for us”,  Wonpil said, leaning into his boyfriend’s space.

Baekhyun smiled softly, watching them.

“To be honest, I think the festival could be exactly what we need in order to advertise our project... we should think about it again, talk with her. I respect that the two of you don’t do live performances, I really do, but maybe we can find some sort of compromise, so that everyone is happy with it”,  Jongdae suggested.

Wonpil scrutinized him shortly, then he glanced up at Younghyun, tugging on his jacket.

“I will make a pro and con list. Let’s go home immediately”,  Wonpil demanded.

“Right now? Uhm... okay, bunny.  Jongdae , Baekhyun... We need to head home”,  Younghyun said and smiled apologetically.

Jongdae waved it off.

“That’s fine, no problem.  Wonpil is great at figuring things out and this is important for all of us.”

The curly haired man’s smile was bright and honest, Baekhyun noticing again how very sympathetic and kind  Jongdae was.

“Alright then... bye for now. It was great seeing you again. Take care”,  Younghyun wished them before  Wonpil rushed him out of the building and out of their sight.

Jongdae turned to Baekhyun again as soon as they were gone, sighing deeply before he tilted his head, still smiling.

“That went better than expected, didn’t it? Did you see how cutely they interacted? Oh my, couple goals for life – I’m so envious”, he said, eyes sparkling.

“Yes, they are really great together”, Baekhyun agreed.

“I think we’re also done here actually... Today was about showing you, the rest will come later”,  Jongdae announced then and brought up his bunch of keys again, turning to leave.

“Do you think they will agree to it?” Baekhyun asked then, curious over what the boyfriends would decide, not knowing them well enough to assume anything.

“Oh yes, I think so. You know, Pil’s Asperger makes him wanting to control everything around him... but ever since  Younghyun came into his life he... I don’t know how I can explain it... It’s as if Wonpil had been holding his breath in the past. With  Younghyun he’s able to breathe out.  Younghyun makes it so that  Wonpil is more comfortable with a lot of things. He makes sure that everything is safe and sound around  Wonpil , he makes it so that he controls the situations and turns them into something that, on the other hand,  Wonpil is able to control. Does this make any sense to you?”  Jongdae asked him, ruffling through his curls.

Baekhyun thought about his words for a moment and then came to a realization.

_ “Yes, Baek... this sounds a lot like us. Without the romantic aspect of course” _ , Beom said, chuckling lowly.

“Yeah... it makes sense to me”, Baekhyun answered, his voice a little raspy.

He was looking past  Jongdae , trying to gulp down the little lump in his throat.

Jongdae seemed to notice that something was up, but he chose not to address it, instead starting to leave their future firefly reserve.

“Let’s get home. It was an exhausting day for both of us. Damn, my back still hurts like... I’m sorry, I better not voice out what I’m feeling”,  Jongdae said with a little chuckle, making Baekhyun smile shyly.

“It’s fine. If you want to, I could drive us home so you can lean back on the seat? I promise I’m a good driver”, Baekhyun suggested.

“Thanks for offering, Baek. You’re really the best. It’s been only two weeks, but I already can’t imagine my life without having you around”,  Jongdae said with honesty, even though he was yawning wholeheartedly.

_ “He is so great. I wish we’d have met more people like him in our past” _ , Beom said with a sigh.

“I feel just the same”, Baekhyun said, both replying to  Jongdae and his brother.

Jongdae smiled brightly again and Baekhyun walked close to him on the way to the car.

“Come on, let’s get you home ”, Baekhyun hummed.

“ Mhh ... home sounds good”,  Jongdae mumbled, sleepily falling into the passenger seat.

Baekhyun drove carefully on the way back home, especially after  Jongdae had dozed off into a deep slumber.


	9. Confrontation

Driving up to the main house, had Baekhyun feeling a little anxious. He had acted out on  Chanyeol earlier and he knew that he had to solve the issue.  Chanyeol might be a stubborn and grumpy coeval, but Baekhyun was righteous and wanted to apologize.

_ “You know, you don’t need to do what’s right all the time” _ , Beom taunted him.

“If I don’t do it, who else will?” Baekhyun mumbled, trying not to wake  Jongdae after he had stopped the car.

He carefully leaned over, stroking a few locks out of  Jongdae’s face before he slightly shook his shoulder.

“Dae, we’re there. Wake up”, he spoke softly.

“ Ngh ... don’t  wanna . Let me stay here... it’s comfy. Car smells like... strawberries”,  Jongdae murmured and turned to the side, continuing his slumber.

Baekhyun stifled a chuckle and carefully got out of the car, leaving the keys and  Jongdae behind.

In front of the main house, he got welcomed by the two dogs, Toben and  Mongreong , barking excitedly and jumping up his legs.

“Shh! You’ll wake  Jongdae ”, Baekhyun mumbled, trying to quieten the dogs with friendly stroking.

Almost immediately, both of them sat down next to him, silently blinking up at him with their big brown eyes.

“Good boys, good boys you are”, he praised them before he stood up and walked onto the porch.

“Are you an animal whisperer or something?” A deep voice asked him all of a sudden, startling him.

Baekhyun almost stumbled off the porch when  Chanyeol immersed from the shadows – he had probably awaited them.

“Why. Can. You. Never. Warn. Me? I’ll die from the shock one day!” Baekhyun asked, underlining each word so the message was not only clear to  Chanyeol , but Beom as well.

_ “You’re a trained special agent, your senses should be more heightened, little brother...” _ Beom chirped, teasing him.

“I was distracted by my thoughts and the dogs. Let me be”,  Baekyhun mumbled, almost forgetting that  Chanyeol was still there.

“No, I won’t. Not after you snapped at me like this today”,  Chanyeol told him, Baekhyun’s eyes shooting up at him in alarm.

“I... I’m really sorry for that... I shouldn’t have”, Baekhyun mumbled, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

They were still on the porch, awkwardly standing in that dimly lit area.  Chanyeol was scrutinizing him and Baekhyun felt insecure and nervous.

“If it weren’t for you, I  gotta admit, I’d be hugely offended by your actions...”  Chanyeol said then, a strange glint in his eyes as he tilted his head.

_ “What’s that supposed to mean? Be careful Baek, I’m afraid he’ll be cocky and act like a douche. If it gets too much, just walk forward, I’ll get him out of your way” _ , Beom assured him.

Baekhyun remained silent, sensing that there was more that  Chanyeol wanted to say to him.

“...Baekhyun, I know that I wasn’t fond of you barging into my home like this and... maybe I’m still a bit too hostile towards you but... Mum and Jongdae, they like you and you’re a great help on the farm, better than I expected...”  Chanyeol continued.

_ “What now? Is he trying to make compliments? He’s not good at that if you ask me” _ , Beom murmured.

Baekhyun tried to ignore his unasked comments, wanting to focus on what  Chanyeol was trying to tell him.

“...I’m normally not an overly curious person, unlike  Jongdae of course, but with you... At the beginning I couldn’t care less about where you came from and why you ended up on our doorstep... but now...”  Chanyeol said, prolonging his little speech.

Baekhyun felt a big hard lump in his throat, his heartbeat quickening in panic.

What was  Chanyeol aiming at? Was he suspecting anything? Did he try to find out more about Baekhyun’s origins?

“Baekhyun, are you in any kind of trouble? Did someone try to hurt you back in Seoul?”  Chanyeol asked then, his eyes dark, expression unreadable.

Baekhyun looked down to his trembling hands, afraid that, if he would hold Chanyeol’s gaze, all his secrets would pour out of him like the tears that were threatening to fall.

It was the first time, ever since he ran away from the agency, that someone was asking this sort of question. Baekhyun had a hard time coping with that and he also did not know what to say.

“I... I don’t... no, there wasn’t...” Baekhyun started, his voice low and thin.

Chanyeol took a step forward, leaning into Baekhyun’s space.

“We both know that you’re lying to me... tell me, you can tell me about it, Baekhyun”,  Chanyeol insisted, carefully reaching out to touch Baekhyun’s shoulder.

Baekhyun looked up at that, eyes blown like a dear caught in the headlights. His skin was burning under  Chanyeol’s hand, tingling in panic.

“I’m... I’m not lying... please don’t...” Baekhyun breathed out.

He did not know where  Chanyeol’s sudden interest was coming from. Did not understand whether the man was worried about him or if he just wanted to mess with his head again.

Baekhyun was so confused. He felt caught and forced into a corner – no exit in sight.

“I won’t harm you... just, tell me if anyone else out there wants to.”

Chanyeol’s voice was unbelievably soft and warm. Baekhyun was surprised and the tingles of panic turned into sparks of warmth.

He felt as if a candle got lit inside of him and his heart was telling him to spill the beans, reveal everything to the man in front of him.

But his head was telling him not to. Beom, was telling him not to. He was practically screaming at Baekhyun to get his shit together. But, all that Baekhyun could process, was  Chanyeol’s hand on his shoulder and the smell of his aftershave.

Ever since he got a feeling of what it was like to want someone close to oneself, how it felt like having someone you could trust and who was looking out for you, Baekhyun had craved more of it. 

With his partner Minho, he had experienced the beginnings of such a connection. A bond of mutual attraction and the sparks of romantic feelings. But he had left him behind when he chose to run away on his birthday. Ever since he had tried to bury whatever it was that the two of them had developed.

Now he was here and, with  Chanyeol , it reminded him of the confusion and desperation he had felt back when Minho had held his distance, back when they had gotten into arguments of some kind.

He knew that ever since the first day with the Park family, he had noticed a certain attraction towards  Chanyeol – no matter how unkindly the man had treated him – and right now, it was threatening to break out of where Baekhyun had locked it up.

Baekhyun’s silent pondering and struggling, seemed to get  Chanyeol on edge. The man slightly shook his shoulder, his grip on Baekhyun getting stronger and impatient.

“Come on, just tell me so we can get this over with”, he hissed out, rolling his eyes.

Baekhyun was taken aback, Chanyeol’s hand on him starting to feel like acid.

He shook it off, looking up at the taller with confusion and hurt inside his eyes.

“Why should I? What do you even want? Just know I’ve been almost thinking that you were worried about me... but you’re clearly not. So, what is your deal with  _ my  _ past?” Baekhyun snapped at him, surprising himself with how strong he sounded.

Chanyeol sighed deeply, his whole demeanor distant and unfriendly once again. It was almost as if he had tossed away a mask of gentleness, the grimace of coldness revealing his true intentions.

“Simple. I don’t want your past catching up with you – with us, to be precise. I don’t know how you did it or what you did, but you clearly ran away from someone who wants to harm you. Be it for the right or the wrong reasons, I don’t even care. But I do care about  _ my  _ family, about  _ our  _ farm, about  _ our  _ lives. I don’t want anyone to harm us just because he came after you. You might be a stray  puppy, you might not look like bad news to anyone – but you clearly are. I can feel it. I felt it from the first moment I set eyes on you and everything you did, everything you said or did not, it just proved to me that you shouldn’t be here. So please, Baekhyun, do us all a favor and move on. I’m not saying you should go back to your trouble or whatever mess you left behind and ran away from, but please, leave me and my family out of it!”

Baekhyun felt as if all the happiness he had collected throughout these past days got drained out of him.  Chanyeol’s words were incredibly hurtful and Baekhyun had not been prepared for any of it.

His whole body went stiff. He thought back to his first true mission, the first time he had gone out to face a dangerous situation with nothing more than his partner, a gun and his brother’s extraordinary abilities. He had pushed away all his insecurities, his fears and emotions so that he could be able to survive the danger and manage the life that had been put upon him.

Right now, he felt even worse than back then. Right now, he just wanted to flee. He wanted to be his pitiful, craven and shy self that could sneak beneath a blanket and never come out again. He did not want to push through the situation he had found himself in, he wanted  Chanyeol and all his questions to go away and leave him be. He wanted to be happy and himself for once in his life, he did not want to explain himself to someone who was behaving as unrelenting as  Chanyeol . But, most importantly, he did not want  Chanyeol’s worries to become true...

“I can’t... I can’t deal with this right now... please, let me through”, Baekhyun said, his voice hoarse and steps weak.

But  Chanyeol did not dodge and Baekhyun fisted his hands with impatience.

“No, I’m not letting you get away so easily. Tell me, Baekhyun. I need to know!”  Chanyeol insisted.

Baekhyun put his hands against the other, glaring up at him.

“Let me through... please!” He whined and started shoving the taller out of his way.

What started as a careful shove, ended up as a forceful push and  Chanyeol’s back banged against the stone wall, a grunt of pain escaping him as he slid down against it.

“What the...”  Chanyeol rasped out and looked up at Baekhyun in bewilderment.

Baekhyun was staring at his hands, shocked due to the sudden, unnatural strength that came from him.

“I... I’m sorry I... I  gotta go...” Baekhyun stammered and hurried inside, away from  Chanyeol .

He stumbled into the bathroom and locked up behind himself, breathing out deeply.

_ “Baek... I... I had to do that. He wasn’t going to let you be... I had to force him out of your way” _ , Beom spoke up, his voice strained.

“I know... I know...” Baekhyun mumbled, his eyes glassy and heart bleeding.

_ “I think it’s best if we leave this place before  _ _ Chanyeol _ _ becomes even more of a problem than he already is. He... he doesn’t want you here. He doesn’t seem to trust you” _ , Beom told him, his voice holding that certain know-it-all-arrogance.

“But... but why was he acting nicer these past days? It seemed like he’d started to accept me being here? He even apologized to me... Something must’ve changed again today after I snapped at him. Why would he behave like a normal person earlier, only to completely chase me away now? That doesn’t make any sense, Beom”, Baekhyun mumbled, his delicate hands roaming through his hair as he slid down the door to sit on the cold  bathroom tiles.

_ “To be honest, I don’t care about finding out.  _ _ Chanyeol _ _ is so... so complicated and grumpy and... why would you want to figure this out with him? He’s not worth it. There were a few moments when I believed he could be, but now he ruined it all” _ , Beom said, voice sharp.

“I... I don’t know... I just feel like it would be the right thing to do. People should always get another chance for proving themselves worthy. Always. You know that I want to live with this motto – I believe in the good of people.  Chanyeol is... he’s not one of the bad guys, he just wants to protect those things important to him. And Beom, he’s right to do it. I mean, there  _ are  _ dangerous people after me, after us.  Chanyeol might not suspect such a kind of past from me, but the danger for him and his family is definitely there. Be honest with me, they are still looking for us, am I right?” 

Baekhyun’s voice was still low, as he was being careful that the Parks could not hear him, but there was also urgency and fear straining his words.

Beom sighed in his head and Baekhyun knew the answer immediately.

_ “They are... and they are getting closer it seems”, _ Beom said, voice neutral.

Baekhyun did not know what his brother was truly thinking about this.

Was Beom happy that they were catching up? Did he want them to go back to the agency? Did he want to feel more powerful again and less bored with the farm-tasks?

Or was he worried about their safety? Was he feeling sad for Baekhyun? Did he know that Baekhyun would never be able to feel more normal if they would have to leave the island again?

_ “You’re my brother. You are everything to me, the only reason that I’m still having a connection to this world, Baekhyun. Without you, my soul would have just drifted away into darkness. My body died when we were born, but you, you allowed me a spot in your life, in your mind even. I know I might not seem thankful all the time, but I truly am. I’m so  _ _ so _ _ thankful that you let me stay, even though you were only a baby back then, without a grown consciousness. We got pushed around in our childhood and then, when the agency took us in, everything changed for the better at first. At least for me. There were people who were giving me the chance to feel useful, not only as your brother or guardian, but also as someone who could bring a change for our country, for the people in danger... I know that you always wanted to help people, especially those in true need, but you didn’t want it this way. I know how hard you pushed yourself through all the training and experiments. I know how you suffered when you shot at a real person for the first time and how you panicked when Minho got hurt... I could feel the pain in your heart, realizing over and over again that this was not the life you wanted, but thought you had to accept. Truth is, you didn’t have to accept it. Truth is, you deserved a more peaceful life. I know you only managed and stayed that long because of me... and also because of Minho... I know it all, Baekhyun...” _ Beom told him, his voice so soft, Baekhyun was not sure he had ever experienced his brother’s voice like this.

Everything that Beom had just said - Baekhyun had never expected his normally insensitive brother to voice it out like this – hit hard. It was true, so true. Baekhyun felt close to crying, realizing that Beom had seen all the pain that Baekhyun had been trying to hide away from him. But  of course he had and now he was trying to make it up to Baekhyun. The latter did just not know why and what he was aiming for...

“ Beommie ... why are you saying all this?” He asked him, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

_ “Because you still deserve a life away from the agency. You still deserve to make your own decisions. I want you to have friends, I want you to have a job you enjoy, I want you to be happy... damn, I even want you to fall for someone, freely and unconditionally. I want all of this for you, Baekhyun. I don’t know how much of that we can achieve in the near future, but I can definitely help you with getting rid of the agency’s shadows that are still haunting you. I can free you from the one who’s behind it all and then you can move on to wherever you want to go. You can come back here or go somewhere else... I won’t interfere. I’m just grateful for what you’ve already given to me and that I can still be your brother” _ , Beom answered, his voice thick with emotion suddenly.

Tears were dripping down from Baekhyun’s cheeks now and he reached up in order to turn on the shower – he still did not want anyone of the Parks to witness any of this.

“But Beom... you... I... I want your happiness as well... you also deserve a good life...” Baekhyun brought out, wiping his tears away.

_ “Don’t worry your pretty head about me now. Please... let me help  _ you  _ first. We can discuss what I deserve and don’t deserve later on, okay?” _ Beom replied, his tone less serious.

“Okay...” Baekhyun agreed – for now.

_ “Good boy”, _ Beom praised him and Baekhyun smiled a little until he caught up on something that Beom had said.

“You... you said come back here... does that mean we’re going away? Is it... is it that bad? Did they really catch up on us this fast?” 

Baekhyun was worried, but he also knew that Beom would have taken actions already if the agency had gotten close to unavoidable.

_ “I can give you more time, but you need to go back to Seoul eventually. You have to end it properly. No applications for leave this time. No excuses. It won’t be a piece of  _ _ pie, _ _ you know what the boss is like... he won’t let you off easily. You know how powerful he is...” _ Beom reminded him, even though it was not necessary.

Baekhyun knew exactly what the deal with their boss had been, he knew what obstacles the man had overcome in order to give Baekhyun’s and Beom’s special case the needed attention and such a high spot within the agency.

“Alright. How much can you give me? How long until I have to go back?” Baekhyun asked his brother and stood up slowly, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

_ “Two weeks at least. Maybe I can manage three...” _ Beom answered.

Baekhyun swallowed hard. It was not much, but it was all he got.

“I take it. I will prepare myself for two, but I wouldn’t mind a couple days more of course...” Baekhyun replied.

_ “Understood. Don’t worry, Baek, we will get through with this. We will get the closure that we need and then... then you can come back here” _ , Beom said, his voice low but light.

“I didn’t decide on coming back here already...” Baekhyun argued.

_ “You’re a bad liar. Leave such things to me... puppy” _ , Beom teased him.

\---

Baekhyun got up an hour before sunrise. He knew that a workday on the farm always started early and that  Chanyeol was usually the first one to get up.

The family had certain rituals, as Baekhyun had found out in his second week here.  Chanyeol prepared the table for breakfast and then went out to feed the horses and let them out onto the paddocks. The second one to arise was Mrs. Park. She always tended to her mother and made breakfast after.  Jongdae was the last one to get out of bed, his curls always a mess that  Chanyeol could make fun of. Baekhyun had always gotten up somewhere in between, either helping Mrs. Park with breakfast or looking after the goats and sheep.

These details seemed unimportant and trivial, but for Baekhyun they had developed into little treasures. He loved the routines, filled with  Jongdae’s jokes, Mrs. Park’s kindness and even  Chanyeol’s furrowed brows and grunts.

Ever since Beom had picked up a connection with Grandma Minjee, she was also a part of the family meals that Baekhyun did not want to miss on. Even though Beom was the only one who had access to her trapped conscious, he often told Baekhyun about her comments.

Baekhyun wanted to do something special for the family today. He prepared the breakfast table, even went out to pick flowers in order to decorate it. He had also looked up a pancake recipe with the spare phone that Jongdae had gifted him – after giving him an earful about why it was super strange that Baekhyun had left his phone back in Seoul, of course.

_ “I don’t get it, Baek.  _ _ Chanyeol _ _ was so awful towards you last night... and still you want to do this for them?” _ Beom asked him, his voice stern.

“I want to make these last two or three weeks unforgettable. If no one can help  _ me _ , I can be of use for them at least. There were so many people in our life who didn’t want us Beom, people who wanted to forget about us, who haven’t treated us well... the Parks are the first ones I really don’t want this to happen with. I want them to like me, I want them to remember me in case I won’t come back here. I want to prove  Chanyeol that I’m a good person and mostly I want to enjoy what this place is giving me”, Baekhyun explained.

_ “And what would that be?” _ Beom asked.

“Freedom...? Peace? Happiness? A lot of good things actually. I know that  Chanyeol is... well, a challenge but... at least he doesn’t hate or fear me because of... you”, Baekhyun murmured.

_ “Ouch, that wasn’t very nice of you, brother. But you’re right, so I take it” _ , Beom huffed.

“Sorry, but it is true... You always angered or scared the people around us, but they took it out on me because they could not see or talk to you”, Baekhyun tried to explain himself, a pout heavy on his lips.

_ “I am aware of that. But don’t forget that most of them deserved it!” _ Beom said.

“Minho didn’t...” Baekhyun whispered.

Beom laughed at that.

_ “Of course, he did. He was a snob, uptight and ignorant.” _

“But... that was only at the beginning. You know that”, Baekhyun argued.

_ “Yeah of course...”  _ Beom scoffed.

“Beom, why do you always react like that when we’re talking about him?” Baekhyun wanted to know.

_ “Because I can, because he is irrelevant now. Please, change the topic” _ , Beom begged him, almost sounding desperate.

“Alright, alright... Just one thing, you do know that we will see him once we go back to the agency so I can set an end to it, right?” Baekhyun asked him.

_ “I know and I won’t interfere in case you want to say goodbye to him properly...” _ Beom said, voice hollow.

Baekhyun was surprised at that. Had Beom just offered him some sort of free ticket? A chance to tell Minho what he had felt while they had been working together? A chance to make the goodbye worthwhile? 

He could not figure out the meaning behind his brother’s words, but he was also afraid of asking him.

So, he kept the matter in suspense  _ for now _ .

“Do you think they’ll like the pancakes?” Baekhyun asked, taking a look at his result on the breakfast table.

_ “ _ _ Of course _ _...  _ _ Jongdae _ _ and Mrs. Park like everything that has to do with you – Grandma Minjee as well. Just with  _ _ Chanyeol _ _... I don’t know. He’s either completely in love with you, or he just hates your guts for no reason” _ , Beom sighed.

Baekhyun choked on his spit.

“Park  Chanyeol ? In love with me? That is the silliest thing I ever heard you saying.”

_“No_ _no_ _no_ _, think about it._ _Chanyeol_ _doesn’t go well with change. He had bad relationships in the past, then started going out with that Jimin-boy who is, according to what_ _Jongdae_ _and the others said, not_ _Chanyeol’s_ _typical type... and then you came along. You, being probably the prettiest, smartest and most precious boy on the entire island. You, who is not just puppy eyes and an enchanting smile but who also carries secrets with him, creating a mysterious but also troublesome aura._ _Chanyeol_ _probably thinks that the drama and hurt in his past will repeat itself – so that’s why he’s playing the inapproachable, grumpy douchebag while in fact, he’s nothing but a coward in love... Wow, that actually makes sense”_ , Beom finished his theory and gasped dramatically.

Baekhyun gulped harshly, his heartbeat increasing as he thought about Beom’s words.

He shook himself out of it though. It was too crazy, too messy and far-fetched. Beom could not be right about it. Not in a lifetime.

“This does not, and I repeat it,  _ not  _ make any sense at all! Are you even listening to yourself? Your theory is the product of a crazy person talking too much!” Baekhyun exclaimed, throwing a hand over his mouth as he noticed how loud he was.

_ “ _ _ Oh _ _ come on, Baekhyun. This theory is not as absurd as you claim it to be. Be honest with me, a part of you would like it to be true” _ , Beom retorted.

Baekhyun clenched his hands into fists.

“No way! End of conversation, okay? End. Of. Conversation”, he said, emphasizing every word.

_ “I’ll drop it completely if you won’t question me about the Minho-thing. I know what you’ve been thinking earlier. Don’t imagine that you can outplay me, brother. I might be the one who’s without a body to control, but in return I have access to all your thoughts if I want to. I love you, and I respect you, but please do the same for me” _ , Beom said.

Baekhyun was speechless. His brother wanted him to show respect after he had, once again, listened to his private thoughts? What kind of fairness was that?!

_ “ _ _ Chanyeol _ _ is up. Let’s discuss this later...” _ Beom mumbled and Baekhyun straightened his shoulders, preparing himself for the other man in his life who was driving him insane.

A minute later,  Chanyeol walked into the kitchen, his tired eyes widening as he noticed Baekhyun and the richly laid table.

Baekhyun was smiling shyly, fiddling with the little apron he had put on earlier.

“Good morning...” he mumbled, not daring to look at  Chanyeol .

Said man stopped at the other end of the table, crossing his muscular arms in front of his chest.

“ Mornin ’. What’s this for?”  Chanyeol asked him, getting straight to the point.

“This? Oh... this is...”, Baekhyun started stammering, unsure of what to say.

He decided that it was time to lay some of his cards onto the table. If he wanted to stay here for another two or three weeks, he had to clear things with  Chanyeol first.

“You were right. Yesterday. About me...”

Chanyeol tilted his head in confusion, brows typically furrowed. 

Baekhyun was fiddling with the apron again, deciding to put it off, thinking he looked ridiculous.

“My job back in Seoul... it was... let’s just say I’ve been working for people with... a lot of power, people who are not afraid of stepping over boundaries, people who would sacrifice innocents for their higher good... what I mean is that, yes, they are dangerous and I fled because I couldn’t take it any longer”, Baekhyun started to explain, his voice raspy and higher pitched than necessary.

Chanyeol’s dark gaze was still on him, the man was trying hard to make sense out of Baekhyun’s explanations while also being surprised about his honesty.

“When I came to  Jeju I never expected to find... to find a place as amazing as yours. I never thought that such a kind family would take me in, no matter how reluctant you were... or still are. For the first time in my life I felt like this farm and everything attached to it, could be something I’d be truthfully happy with. All of this – the house, the animals, your friends and overall, your family – is a true gem. It’s precious, it’s lovely and it needs to stay unharmed at all costs. Which is why I  came to realize that I can’t be this selfish with it and abuse it as my safe haven...” Baekhyun continued, carefully looking at Chanyeol to see his reaction.

The  older’s brows were not furrowed any longer, the dark glint in his eyes had gotten replaced by something akin to worry. 

“I will be leaving again – just like you wanted me to. Not immediately, unless you insist of course, but in two or three weeks... I promise that, as long as I’m here, I won’t bring any more inconveniences to you, I just want to... have some more time in peace and... and... Chanyeol, I know you’re everything but a fan of mine, but please, will you grant me that time? Even without seeing or knowing my whole picture, but maybe because I’m giving you my word? What... what do you say?” Baekhyun asked, his voice almost a whisper as he took a step closer around the table and into Chanyeol’s direction.

The frown on the man’s face was gone completely and his eyes were... gentle, almost.

“We can’t tell them. Especially not  Jongdae ”,  Chanyeol mumbled.

Baekhyun was confused.

“Pardon me?” He asked, not getting what  Chanyeol was aiming at.

“We can’t tell them that you’re planning on leaving this soon. They... they really like you and with all that I’ve put you through... I don’t want them to think that it was solely my fault that you need to leave again. I don’t... I don’t want to start believing that  _ I _ was the only reason...”  Chanyeol explained, voice trailing off and eyes looking down.

“What... what do you mean?” Baekhyun wanted to know.

Chanyeol looked up at him again, making a hesitant step towards Baekhyun as well.

“It means that I trust your word, Baekhyun. I... I know I wasn’t completely wrong about you – you telling me the bits of your past just now, it proves that you were hiding something that could catch up with you again. But I... I was so harsh. I was biased and so mistrusting I... I am almost embarrassed admitting it now, but... I took things out on you that I shouldn’t have and I am sorry. I truly am. I just hope that you won’t hold any grudges against me if you leave – in the end I was only trying to protect my family. I hope you understand that”,  Chanyeol spoke carefully.

Baekhyun nodded, having a bit of a hard time dealing with this soft and almost empathetic side of  Chanyeol .

“I do understand it. That’s why I’ll have to leave you again... sooner than I’ve been hoping for...” Baekhyun’s voice was thick with emotion now.

He was so sad, so overwhelmed and also angry. Angry that he had to deal with this part of his past again. Angry that he had to fight once again for leading a life he could be happy with.

Baekhyun took another step into  Chanyeol’s direction, his big eyes filling with tears.

“I will try not to hold any grudges against you,  Chanyeol . But... to be honest... even if you were right about a couple things... you really hurt me”, Baekhyun croaked out.

“I know... I’m so  so sorry, Baekhyun. I... I had no right to say and do all these awful things I... you always seemed to recover so well from all my remarks and... when I wasn’t sure what all this here was for you - whether just some experiment or midlife-crisis - I tried to make you angry and give up on it. I never truly intended to... hurt you in any form. Please, forgive me...”  Chanyeol replied, face filled with remorse.

“...I forgive you...” Baekhyun breathed out, tears running down his face now, “...of course I do...”

Before Baekhyun could comprehend that he was embarrassingly crying, right in front of  Chanyeol , the man had already closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s tiny body.

It felt as if a comfortable heat had swallowed him whole. Wrapped him up in a cocoon, preparing him to emerge as something beautiful and free.

The embrace was careful and soft, but also soothing. Never would he have guessed that it would feel like this – being this close to  Chanyeol for the first time.

Baekhyun was not even sure whether he could feel awkward about it. Not when he felt so strangely protected and comfortable... not when  Chanyeol’s normally overwhelming aftershave brought such a peaceful sentiment upon him.

He did not know how long they remained like this \-  with  Chanyeol towering over him and Baekhyun’s dainty hands faintly resting against the other’s broad back. But when an insistent, slightly annoyed voice in Baekhyun’s head called out to him to stop the cuddling, because  Jongdae and Mrs. Park were on their way, Baekhyun rushed backwards as fast as possible.

Not that he had not enjoyed their embrace, hug, cuddle, whatsoever, but he wanted to spare them both from the embarrassment of getting “caught”.

Chanyeol looked a bit confused at first, even pouting a little bit – which only made him look like some oversized, kicked puppy actually – but when he heard footsteps approaching, his expression softened again and there was even something akin to a blush on his cheeks.

Baekhyun turned away from the almost endearing sight and rapidly wiped his tear struck face with the back of his hands before mumbling a small thank you towards his brother.

“Good morning son, good morning Baekhyun. Both up so early?” Mrs. Park greeted them, her voice gentle and friendly.

Baekhyun had liked the sound of her voice from the first day on. He even caught himself imagining her reading bedtime stories to him once, something neither his real mother or foster mothers had done for him.

“And what is all this about? So many delicacies.... Baekhyun, did you do all of this?” Mrs. Park continued asking.

Baekhyun turned around carefully, smiling and nodding shyly. He felt a bit bad, hearing that Mrs. Park did not even consider that  Chanyeol could have done or at least helped with it.

“Yes, Baekhyun did all this by himself. He is our new breakfast-angel",  Chanyeol announced proudly.

Baekhyun looked at him in surprise, the taller smirking at him as if there was some newfound secretive understanding between them. 

Mrs. Park was about to say something when  Jongdae appeared in the kitchen, his curls the typical mess. He seemed sleepy still, but there was already an energetic glint in his eyes as he took in the scene.

“ Mornin ’ everyone. Did I forget anyone’s birthday or what’s going on?”  Jongdae asked, rubbing one of his eyes before he scrutinized Baekhyun.

“ Baekkie ? Have you been crying?” He asked him, walking over to him in a hurry. “What happened? What did  Chanyeol do again?”

“Yah! Stop accusing me of something without knowing the background!”  Chanyeol scolded him, defensively crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Baekhyun put a soothing hand on  Jongdae’s shoulder.

“Dae, it’s fine. I was just a little sentimental. It’s not  Chanyeol’s fault”, Baekhyun eased him, distorting the truth a little.

Chanyeol gave him a thankful smile and Baekhyun immediately felt his heart skipping a beat.

_ “Baek, don’t be so easy. He just smiled at you...” _ Beom taunted him, having noticed the change in his brother’s heartbeat.

Beom was not too wrong about him this time. But still, Baekhyun could not bring himself to feel bad about it.

“I think it’s best that we start with breakfast now. We don’t want to miss out on Baekhyun’s tasty food because of arguing too much, do we?” Mrs. Park went in between, her voice gentle but gaze determinant.

Her sons were quiet in an instance and  Jongdae even stopped glaring at his older brother, instead taking Baekhyun’s hand and leading him to sit at the table.

“ Wahhh Baek, so delicious! You really outdid yourself. That’s so sweet of you”,  Jongdae praised him.

“You’re welcome”, Baekhyun mumbled sheepishly, blushing slightly.

“I insist on returning the favour, Baekhyun”,  Chanyeol said, his voice low and warm.

Baekhyun looked at him ins surprise,  Jongdae huffing loudly.

“Oh please, you can’t even cook or bake. There is a reason why you always tried dating guys who can, so that they can do it for you and you needn’t starve because of your own incapability”, Jongdae snorted before biting into a pancake.

“Stop spreading such nonsense! I wasn’t together with my past boyfriends just so they could cook for me”,  Chanyeol argued.

Baekhyun chuckled lowly. Even though the topic was not his favourite – thinking about  Chanyeol’s exes made him uneasy somehow – he enjoyed the bickering and teasing  between brothers who were not Beom and himself. It was fun to watch and listen to.

Call him crazy, but this was the kind of breakfast he had always dreamed of being a kid. The table set with delicious meals while he could chat noisily with his brother, their mother watching over them with affection and slight amusement, only stepping in when things became too heated or inappropriate.

He had often imagined what things would have been like if his mother would not have died giving birth to them. If his father would not have ditched them even before his wife’s pregnancy had shown. And, most importantly, if Beom’s body would not have been too weak to survive, causing his soul to find shelter within Baekhyun’s instead.

Baekhyun had often thought about that, still did. There were times when he had pitied himself for it, for this special situation he had never wished for. But as the years came by, he had started seeing things differently and was more at peace with it today. It was a challenge, but Beom was always there for him and Baekhyun was more than thankful.

The one thing that was immensely bothering him now though, was the agency. Of course, the place had given him good memories as well, but in the end, it had put him into a job he did not want, put him into a life he did not feel comfortable with.

He knew, that if Beom would have been able to keep his own body, he would have become one of the top agents. He would have been fearless, loyal, strong and courageous. But little Baekhyun was not up for it. He could not force himself through a life that was not made for him, only because he was feeling sorry for his brother.

After Beom had made this clear to Baekhyun, his heart was lighter and filled with a warmth he had not allowed to be there in the past.

_ “Hey...  _ _ Hyunnie _ _... stop the daydreaming and pay attention again. Your beloved  _ _ Chanyeol _ _ asked you something” _ , Beom’s voice shook him out of his thoughts and Baekhyun flinched shortly.

“Wh... what?” Baekhyun stuttered and looked at Chanyeol.

“I was asking if you’d like to go out for dinner with us?”  Chanyeol repeated patiently, even though a brow was raised in irritation.

“Dinner? Us?” Baekhyun asked, all confused.

Jongdae pinched his cheek.

“My my my... I know that Chanyeol’s deep voice can be tiring, but even I wasn’t so out if it before”, Jongdae teased him.

“I’m sorry...” Baekhyun mumbled.

“We were just talking about food and cooking. I suggested we should go to our friend’s restaurant so you could meet the best cook on the entire island.  Chanyeol then announced that he already made plans on going there tonight with his friends and his bae... Surprisingly, he asked us if we wanted to tag along”, Jongdae filled him in.

Baekhyun looked at  Chanyeol , searching for his confirmation.

“Yeah... I thought, if I’d let Jimin meet my friends tonight, maybe he could feel better with you around - since you’ll also be new to the group. My friends can be quite a handful sometimes...” Chanyeol explained, scratching one of his oversized ears.

Baekhyun felt a little lump in his stomach at the realization that  Chanyeol’s fling whatsoever would also be there, but mainly he was happy that the man had at least asked him to join. All thanks to their conversation earlier.

_ “Do you think it’s wise to join? You’ll only be here for another two weeks or such... I’m not sure whether it’s good getting attached to even more people” _ , Beom pointed out.

“I’d really like to come”, Baekhyun said instead, earning smiles from the two Park brothers and a groan from Beom.


	10. Samgyeopsal and Yaoi

Baekhyun was sitting on the porch with Grandma Minjee. They had just finished lunch on this beautifully sunny Monday and he had decided to spend his break with her after getting banned from the kitchen. Mrs. Park and  Chanyeol had insisted on it and, since he had prepared such a great breakfast for them, they did not want him to bother over more kitchen deeds.

He had taken Rennie out of the stable so he could keep them company, the little sheep comfortably dozing on Grandma Minjee’s lap while Baekhyun was checking on his leg. It had gotten much better and Baekhyun was sure that the lamb would be able to run around soon again.

He was currently stroking through its short wool when Beom spoke up.

_ “They are talking about you...” _

“So what?” Baekhyun retorted.

_ “Don’t you wanna hear it too? It’s interesting”, _ Beom chirped casually.

“I don’t care. Eavesdropping on Mrs. Park and Chanyeol is not okay. It’s a bad thing in general”, Baekhyun argued.

_ “Forever the overly righteous. You’re so boring” _ , Beom scoffed.

Baekhyun just rolled his eyes and did not comment on it.

He was almost sure that Beom had given up on it, when suddenly, familiar voices reached his ears.

“... I must say that it’s very kind of you to bring Baekhyun and  Jongdae along tonight. I was getting worried that the two of them were spending too much quality time without you”, he heard Mrs. Park saying, even though it should have been impossible for him to hear.

“There was no need to worry about me, Ma. You know how I am with new people”, Chanyeol replied.

“Oh, I do. Just, I think that Baekhyun is different. The moment I saw him on our doorstep I knew he was special. A good kind of special”, Mrs. Park said and Baekhyun’s heart fluttered nervously.

He also remembered that moment. How Mrs. Park had looked at him – or rather past him. Until now, he had not allowed himself to think about this more intensively. It was the same with Wonpil’s comments on him and “the light”. Baekhyun just hoped that he had misinterpreted these reactions...

“I uhm... I don’t know. I just thought that he could be trouble, that’s all”, Chanyeol said, voice dry.

“My boy... always the sceptic”, Mrs. Park sighed, “Why did you want him to tag along tonight then?”

There was a pause after she asked that and Baekhyun somehow wished he could see  Chanyeol’s face while he was thinking about what to answer.

“Like I said, I think Jimin would be feeling more comfortable with him around. They are both new to the group...”

“Hmm... I’m not sure whether that’s all there is to it. But you don’t need to tell your old mother everything, of course”, Mrs. Park assured him, chuckling lightly.

“Ma, that’s not... I will explain it to you later, ok? I should get out to the horses now”, Chanyeol concluded.

“That’s fine with me. Will you guys stop by before you head out tonight?” Mrs. Park asked then.

“Sure”, Chanyeol answered and then Baekhyun was back to hearing the sounds around the porch again.

_ “Bummer, I thought we could get some more details” _ , Beom whined, sounding bored.

“We shouldn’t have listened at all. I can’t believe you forced me to it”, Baekhyun grumbled.

_ “Come on, it’s not like we heard him spilling his biggest secrets” _ , Beom retorted,  _ “I’m just curious as to why he’s really bringing you guys along. From what I know, it’s not the most romantic thing to bring one's brother to a date, much less a house guest one’s secretly falling for.” _

“He’s  _ not  _ falling for me!” Baekhyun hissed out.

_ “Yeah whatever... Can you do something more fun now? It’s getting boring here... Grannie’s asleep anyways. By the way, she also thinks that Chanyeol likes you” _ , Beom told him.

“She... she does?” Baekhyun asked, voice breathy.

_ “Yes. We frequently chat about the two of you. After she told me where I could find pictures of Chanyeol’s past boyfriends, I took a look at them and it only strengthened my theory. You are just his type, brother” _ , Beom chuckled smugly. 

“You’re just making fun of me, Beom.  So what if they look similar to me? I’m sure that personal qualities are even more important to  Chanyeol than looks. Even if not, I’m not interested in him anyways. I can’t be interested – you know that!” Baekhyun grumbled, slightly annoyed with the topic even though his heartbeat was higher than usual.

_ “Yes, I know that and we’ve talked about this in the past already. If you want to get close to and intimate with someone, feel free to do so. I might be inside of your mind, but I can distract myself well enough. I’d be okay” _ , Beom told him.

“You might be okay with it, but I’m not. I believe in romanticism, honesty and commitment. How could I be able to be with someone if you’re always there as well? I love you, brother, but I just couldn’t... I couldn’t do it...” Baekhyun whispered, voice weak.

_ “Hyun... I’m sorry I... please, let’s forget about it, hm? I’m sorry for teasing you I... I know this isn’t easy for you... It isn’t easy for either of us...” _ Beom said, a warmth streaming through Baekhyun’s body in order to soothe him.

“It’s fine. Let’s get back to work...” Baekhyun just said and headed away from the porch.

\---

“I won’t take your no for an answer, Baekhyun! Please wear these, you’ll look smokin’ hot in them!” Jongdae begged, running after the hesitant Baekhyun with a pair of leather jeans in his hands.

“Why do I need to look hot? It’s only a dinner with Chanyeol’s friends. I’d be overdressed!!” Baekhyun argued, running around the dining table in order to escape from the insistent, curly-haired man.

“Awae! That’s nonsense. Chanyeol also put on some of his best clothes and I know for sure that his friends will also dress up”, Jongdae retorted, going around the table.

“Chanyeol will bring his date – of course he dresses up for him”, Baekhyun said with a pout, hurrying to the other side of the table again.

“Let’s make a deal then. You will put on these pants, then I’ll pick a nice comfy shirt, we’ll only put very decent make-up and accessories on you and you can choose your shoes by yourself. How does that sound?” Jongdae offered, slowly and carefully walking towards Baekhyun now – as if he was some wild horse that needed to be tamed.

Baekhyun stood his ground, lifting his pointer finger.

“I say yes to the pants. The shirt must be a light colour. Decent make-up and accessories are fine, but forget about the shoe-thing because I only own three pairs. And now my last term: you will wear whatever I choose for you”, Baekhyun announced with a grin.

Jongdae hesitated for a moment, but then he just pressed the pants against Baekhyun’s chest, grinning from one ear to the other.

“Deal”, he agreed and led him to his wardrobe.

_ “I’d like that dark green dress shirt on him. I think it would go well with his eyes”, _ Beom hummed.

“This shirt it is...” Baekhyun immediately said and pulled it out.

“Good choice, B”, Jongdae praised him.

“Take the grey pants and put on the silver jewellery with the wings on them”, Baekhyun added.

“Wings for me, huh? You’re the angel here...”, Jongdae said and Baekhyun flushed slightly.

“I’m definitely not an angel”, he retorted.

“What other pure-hearted celestial being are you then?” Jongdae asked with a grin, putting on the chosen clothing.

Baekhyun was slightly taken aback, having  Jongdae changing right in front of him while he was saying such things.  Jongdae noticed of course.

“See, that’s what I mean: You’re so pure and shy at moments like these. But then again, you were able to talk down my stubborn brother into apologizing. Your personality is full of contrasts, it’s truly captivating”,  Jongdae told him.

Baekhyun felt even more uncomfortable at that, having  Jongdae breaching the surface of his secrets with that comment.

_ “Stay calm.  _ _ Jongdae _ _ would never do anything to hurt you _ _.  _ _ Never. I’m almost sure that he’d even understand the situation we’re in...” _ Beom  said, his voice soft and  pensive.

“Yes, I know I’m acting a little strange and out of balance sometimes”, Baekhyun  replied to Jongdae, fiddling with his hands.

Jongdae perked up at that.

“No no no, that’s not what I meant. You’re talking of that as if it were something bad – but it’s certainly not. I just wanted to share my feelings with you, telling that you’re an interesting and enchanting little guy. My friend. I know I seem like I could get along well with everyone, but that’s not as true as most people think it is. Actually, I had my fair share of troubles befriending others”, Jongdae started, his usually bubbly sentiment turning into a reminiscing one, “During school I only ever had Wonpil who I considered a true friend. Of course, I also came into contact with other people when I got older, but that was mostly due to Chanyeol’s connections. As for you, Baek, you’re the only other person I ever came to consider as a friend like Wonpil. A best friend.”

Baekhyun felt touched at that, his skin prickling with warmth.

Jongdae's words were filled with so much truth and  affection, that it  threatened to burn him.

Baekhyun thought of his conversation with Chanyeol, thought of his  upcoming leave. Jongdae’s revelation made it a lot harder to  stay strong with this decision now .

Baekhyun did not want to disappoint his newfound friend . He did not want to leave him. He did not want to leave this place at all.

“Hey, did I say something wrong?”  Jongdae asked Baekhyun when he did not reply.

Baekhyun shook  himself out of his thoughts.

“No, no. Of course not! It’s just... no one ever  said this to me. I’m... a little overwhelmed - in a good way!” Baekhyun explained and carefully  moved closer to Jongdae, eyes a little teary.

“Oh Baek...” Jongdae mumbled and wrapped him up into a hug.

Baekhyun was  satrting to sob lowly, overcome by the feeling of losing a dear friend, even though he had met him only recently.

_ “Don’t cry. I promise I will do everything in my power, so that you can return _ _ to him _ _...” _ Beom  mumbled.

\---

Half an hour and a lot of hugging and crying later,  the two of them were finishing the last  details of  their  outfits.

Jongdae had taken good care of Baekhyun’s slightly puffy face, had  erased almost every evidence of his  little emotional outburst.

Baekhyun was only mildly embarrassed. With Jongdae, he felt so comfortable  and cared  for that he was sure that his emotions  got well taken care of .

He was looking in the mirror, taking  in his appearance when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in ! " Jongdae called, adjusting his accessories for the last time.

Chanyeol entered carefully.

“Are you girls done dressing up finally? We have to...”  Chanyeol started, but  stopped when his eyes landed on Baekhyun.

The boy had turned to face him, heart beating faster with nervousness .

“We’re done, yes. Is the cab here?” Jongdae asked nonchalantly as he strode towards  the door.

But Chanyeol did not answer, instead  h e kept on staring at Baekhyun, voice stuck in his throat.

Baekhyun felt a shiver down his spine, Chanyeol’s dark eyes making him  feel all kinds of things.

Jongdae walked back, waving in front of his brother’s face. 

“Earth to Chanyeol – hello!? ”

Chanyeol shook himself out of it, forcing his eyes away from Baekhyun’s stunning appearance. In annoyance, he glanced at  Jongdae now, but his reddened ears revealed his embarrassment.

“ Cab's there. Hurry now", Chanyeol muttered and then strode out .

Jongdae raised an amused brow at Baekhyun, but did not get to comment on it because the boy did as told and followed Chanyeol  with quick steps.

_ “He totally checked you out" _ , Beom snickered inside his head.

“ Shut up", Baekhyun mumbled.

“Didn’t say anything at all", Jongdae chirped behind him, a grin on his lips.

Baekhyun almost noted that he had not been talking to him, but realized that this would only worsen the situation and instead remained in embarrassed silence for the whole ride to the restaurant.

Chanyeol was no different, sternly glancing out of the window without saying a word. To their luck,  Jongdae did not pick up on the awkward situation, happily chatting with the cab driver instead.

When they arrived in front of the modern restaurant building, right next to a big crossroad, Baekhyun could already spot two people waiting for them.

Chanyeol quickly paid the driver,  telling him that they would need a cab  later on to pick them up again.

Jongdae and Baekhyun had already gotten out of the cab,  slowly walking towards the two people waiting.

One of them was Jimin, his hair styled prettily and his velvety outfit perfectly underlining his figure. The smile that formed on his face, as his gaze fell on them, was bright and mesmerizing. Baekhyun felt drawn to it, even though jealousy was poking into his chest.

The man next to Jimin, who looked a lot more masculine – even though he was not much taller than Jimin – tilted his head, eyes scanning Baekhyun like those of a hungry wolf. They both walked a few steps forward to meet them, even though they kept a certain distance between them.

Baekhyun  was almost sure that they did not come here together, the other guy probably  being one of Chanyeol’s friends since he did not seem to be well acquainted with  Jimin.

“Baekhyun , Jongdae ! Oh my, Chanyeol didn’t tell me you’d come along, too. What a pleasant surprise !” Jimin purred and embraced them full-heartedly, placing a little kiss on both their cheeks.

Baekhyun felt flattered.

“Such stunning outfits, you two! I feel plain suddenly”, Jimin said with a cute pout, nothing of it seeming fake.

“You’re all but plain! If you were,  Jiaer wouldn’t be checking you out like this”,  Jongdae said with a glint in his eyes, nodding towards Chanyeol’s friend.

The guy forced his eyes away from Jimin’s behind, narrowing them at  Jongdae instead, striding over to take him into a playful headlock.

“Park  Jongdae , always out there to tease... Stop exposing the innocent. And stop calling me  Jiaer . For friends it’s Jackson”, he said and messed up  Jongdae’s curls.

Jimin and Baekhyun chuckled at the scene,  Chanyeol joining and rolling his eyes at them.

“Who let the kids out to play? I thought this was a grown-up-meeting...”  Chanyeol grumbled.

Jimin flashed him a smile, eyes twinkling as he threw his arms around the giant.

“Stop being grumpy and let them have fun”, Jimin scolded him, nudging his side after detangling himself again.

Chanyeol just murmured something incomprehensible and looked around.

“Any words of the missing ones, Jackson?” He asked his friend.

Jackson let go of  Jongdae and walked over to him, patting his shoulder in greeting.

“Didn’t check my phone yet. Arrived here in time with Jimin- ssi and introduced myself properly”, Jackson answered.

“ Of course you have...”  Chanyeol mumbled and Baekhyun wondered about the undertone in his voice.

“How ‘bout you introduce me to the other newbie now?” Jackson suggested, glancing at Baekhyun.

“You’re perfectly capable of doing this by yourself. I’ll text Sehun in the meantime”, Chanyeol said and fished out his phone.

Jackson sighed and shook his head, but then just put on a charming smile, taking Baekhyun’s hand in his.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jackson,  Chanyeol’s handsomest and bestest friend”, he spoke and Baekhyun blushed slightly.

“You’re not. My best friend is  Kyungsoo and Sehun is the most handsome”,  Chanyeol commented from the side, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

“Ignore him. You must be... Baekhyun, right?” Jackson continued and Baekhyun nodded, smiling shyly.

Jongdae came to his rescue, throwing an arm around him protectively.

“Don’t even start,  Jiaer . Tonight, is not about hunting and Baekhyun is definitely off-limits anyways”,  Jongdae stated with clear voice, firm but not hostile.

“Not? Too bad... Just kidding, already heard that  Donghae is after him. Other than  Chanyeol , I don’t enjoy picking up fights with the fella”, Jackson said with a wink.

This direction of conversation was not to Baekhyun’s liking and he was mildly confused.

To his surprise, it was Jimin who broke the awkward silence that had followed.

“Who are we waiting for,  Chanyeol ?”

Chanyeol stopped glaring at Jackson and focused his brown eyes on Jimin’s instead.

“My friend Sehun and his fiancé. If they don’t arrive in the next  minute, we’ll just go inside without them. I don’t think they’ll mind”, he answered.

“They are engaged now? Why did you not tell me??” Jongdae called out, hitting his brother’s shoulder.

“It’s quite recent and... ouch, stop it!”  Chanyeol huffed out.

“I’m already looking forward to tonight. Oh my...”  Jongdae sighed.

“Let’s get him drunk as soon as possible. He’s so annoyingly tense and grumpy”, Jackson groaned, conspiring with Chanyeol's brother.

“Definitely. Or does Jimin have another idea on how we get Chan to relax?” Jongdae asked with a smirk, much to Chanyeol’s dismay.

“Sadly not, but Soju should do the job”, Jimin answered, cheeks glowing.

“I hate it when the you’re plotting against me...”  Chanyeol groaned and turned to Baekhyun.

“Let’s get inside, Baekhyun. Leave them traitors out here to rot”, he added and tugged on Baekhyun’s arm, leading him into the restaurant.

Baekhyun was surprised at first, but then he just giggled lowly, his arm tingling pleasantly under  Chanyeol’s touch.

There were whistles and cooing sounds coming from behind them, the three “traitors” following them inside with joy.

The restaurant was of a modern but comfy style. The interior design was a mix of light wooden furniture and coloured surfaces. The lamps, dangling from the high ceiling, were of a metallic style and created a pleasant lighting. There were paintings, accurately covering the walls, and vases with bamboo every now and then. Baekhyun liked it a lot and, knowing that the restaurant belonged to one of  Chanyeol’s friends, made him feel astonished and impressed.

A young man, sympathetic boyish features peeking out from under a black fluffy fringe, welcomed them, his big round eyes sparkling with joy as he recognized them.

“It’s you guys finally!  Kyungsoo almost made me give up your table because you’re late”, he welcomed them with a chuckle, shortly hugging  Jongdae ,  Chanyeol and Jackson before he fixed his apron.

“Typical  Kyungsoo ... that angry little owl...”  Chanyeol muttered before he carefully put a hand on both Jimin’s and Baekhyun’s backs. “Mark, I want you to meet Jimin and Baekhyun.”

The boy smiled curiously, bowing his head shortly before they shook hands.

“A pleasure meeting you. Follow me please before Kyungsoo runs out of the kitchen and scolds me for loitering”, Mark spoke lightly and led them to a table of seven.

They got placed in a corner at the window front – probably the best table in the whole restaurant. There was an unobtrusive range hood above the electric grill that was set into the table, hinting at a traditionally Korean BBQ kitchen.

Baekhyun sat down opposite of Chanyeol and Jimin,  Jongdae right next to him, leaving the remaining two seats empty while Jackson sat down on Jimin’s other side.

Baekhyun liked it like this. He felt comfortable, even though  Chanyeol and Jimin were sitting so close together.

What left him slightly confused though, was that, as soon as they had settled down, Jimin turned to Jackson in order to converse with him animatedly while  Chanyeol was busy studying the menu instead.

Baekhyun did not get to think about it more though, because Mark came in preparing their table and serving them water, as well as the first round of Soju for everyone, repeatedly catching his attention with his swift and precise movements.

There had been a time when Baekhyun had thought about trying out waitering. Something about the job had always fascinated him and now he greatly enjoyed watching Mark’s professional concentration and hospitality.

Chanyeol immediately ordered  Samgyeopsal for them as soon as Mark had brought out his notepad and fished a pen from behind his ear. 

“Perfect choice. You must know,  Kyungsoo always gets the meat from the happiest pigs. Its quality is best. Literally to die for”, Jackson commented, addressing Baekhyun and Jimin since they were not familiar with the restaurant yet.

“Sounds very promising. I’m so hungry to be honest. I feel like I can’t even lift my arms any longer...” Jimin said with a sigh, pouting shortly after.

He had very plumb and pretty lips, Baekhyun noticed, but then he remembered what  Younghyun had told them about Jimin and  Chanyeol kissing in that club... He felt his appetite shrinking slightly.

“Ask  Chanyeol to feed you then...  Samgyeopsal is perfect for it, especially after dipping some into Gochujang”, Jackson replied with a hum.

Jimin leaned forward, carefully resting his pretty head on one of his apparently hunger-tired arms.

“How about you do it instead? You’re Chinese, right? I bet you’re excellent at handling chopsticks...” he suggested, blinking at him.

Jackson’s eyes widened in surprise at Jimin’s quite obvious and flirtatious comment. He looked over at  Chanyeol , Baekhyun’s and  Jongdae’s gaze following his. But  Chanyeol did not even flinch or look up from the menu, still busy picking something else than Samgyeopsal.

It was no question that he had heard them - both Jimin and Jackson had been loud enough. Even Mark had heard them from his spot by the end of the table, his cheeks turning rosy.  Chanyeol seemed completely unperturbed and it irritated Baekhyun to no end.

From all that Baekhyun had heard and witnessed,  Chanyeol was a rather jealous guy. Seeing him not reacting even one bit in a situation like this, it just did not fit.

Mark cleared his throat, the poor guy trying to continue with their order.

“There are still people missing... how about I’ll get you some general starters that you can enjoy and chew on until they arrive? I’ll inform the kitchen about the  Samgyeopsal already, so that’s safe. Just call for me when your group is complete and I’ll take the rest of your order. My colleague will be serving you in the meantime. Enjoy your evening”, he wished them, shortly bowing his head before he hurried off towards the kitchen.

“The boy grew up well... Can still remember how he used to cling onto  Kyungsoo’s leg, scared of strangers and crowds...” Jackson said, looking after him shortly.

“He was a little cutie, still is actually”,  Jongdae cooed in agreement.

“He certainly is...”, a dreamy and gentle voice commented from behind them.

Baekhyun turned his head in surprise, slightly startled by the waiter who had walked up to them silently.

Mark’s colleague was a handsome young man, looking as if he had just jumped out of some Anime – his striking Japanese features and accent giving away his origin. His hair was long and of a brown colour, held together in a short braid but with multiple strains falling into his face. Baekhyun felt a little intimidated by his stare, but the curl of his lips left him feeling rather enchanted than uncomfortable.

“Yuta- ssi ! Still pining for Mark, I see”,  Jongdae perked up, grinning at the young  Japanese waiter.

Yuta gazed into the distance dramatically, hand clenching into a fist.

“One day I’ll catch that  sharkmark . One day...” He said determinedly.

“Keep up the good work, man. I’m rooting for you. Mark seems to be taking after his step-brother though, won’t be easy to win him over”, Jackson said with a sympathetic look on his face.

“I accepted the challenge the day I started working for sensei. I know what I signed up for. Now, enough of that, what else can I get you?” Yuta wanted to know, pointing at their glasses.

They ordered more to drink and Yuta strode away again, leaving them alone.

“It’s been twenty minutes. Do you think our highness will appear anytime soon?” Jackson asked  Chanyeol , probably referring to Sehun.

Chanyeol shrugged.

“Texted me five minutes ago. They’ll be here as soon as they are done getting dressed again, he said.”

Jackson grunted shortly, lifting his glass with Soju and downing it in one go.

“Very well...”

Baekhyun tilted his head in confusion,  Chanyeol noticing his confused stare.

“They got distracted. Happens sometimes when we go out together. When they dress up, they often end up undressing each other right after. Guess such things happen when you’re head over heels for someone...”  Chanyeol explained, his eyes not leaving Baekhyun’s.

The boy blushed and looked down, struggling with the intimate topic, as usual.

“Fair point”, Jimin commented, gaze switching between  Chanyeol and Baekhyun before he also downed his Soju in one go.

Jackson whistled and  whooped approvingly.

“Let’s drink, to love”, Jongdae spoke up, clinking his glass with Baekhyun’s before he moved over to  Chanyeol’s .

Baekhyun returned the gesture, feeling vulnerable beneath  Chanyeol’s gaze as they clinked glasses as well.

“To love...”

\---

Sehun and his fiancé  Bohyun joined them half an hour late.

They were both neatly dressed, wearing expensive clothing from head to toe, their hair styled perfectly. Aside from a certain glow on their faces, there was no sign of the previous activity that had led to their delay.

Baekhyun almost felt underdressed with them around, but then again, his appearance had made  Chanyeol lose his voice earlier – as Beom had kindly reminded him. 

His brother was mostly quiet throughout the meeting with  Chanyeol and his friends and Baekhyun was grateful for it. There were already so many new impressions around him, hearing and reacting to Beom’s comments would have been a tad too much.

Sehun was a quiet and immensely elegant man. He was tall, just like  Chanyeol , his fiancé only a bit taller than them and with an even more muscular build.

In the course of the evening, Baekhyun found out that Sehun was quite a famous show rider and his fiancé his manager – which explained the wealth they radiated. Both harboured the slightest hint of arrogance around them, but not to an unpleasant extent. It was rather fuelling a certain admiration, causing Baekhyun to stare at them more than once.

Sehun seemed a little bored from time to time, as if he was wishing to be someplace else. But whenever that look on his face made its appearance,  Bohyun seemed to notice and showered him with attention, replacing the unapproachable expression with a beautiful and youthful smile.

Bohyun was gentle and humorous. He was well-mannered and showed a lot more interest in getting to know the newbies at the table. Baekhyun could imagine him well at managing his fiancés life in the spotlight. They complemented each other in all the right ways. It was almost adorable how  Bohyun was able to make Sehun forget about the fact that he was actually too cool to show any sort of emotion.

Everything got even better when their third round of Soju arrived and a heavier tipsiness threatened to overcome them. Baekhyun, who was not used to drinking alcohol in the first place, had to force himself to remain silent, otherwise he would have spluttered things that should definitely not get spoken out.

Luckily, the  Samgyeopsal saved him from losing more of his self-composure, filling his boozed stomach with tasty meat instead. Jimin and  Jongdae had taken lead at looking after grilling it, after both Jackson and Chanyeol had proven their incapability. Baekhyun had offered his help as well, but Jongdae had shushed him and the engaged couple had been too distracted with each other anyways.

It was when the rest of their main courses arrived, that another new face presented itself to Baekhyun.

The short man was dressed in white, his trimmed black hair and dark brown eyes creating a stark contrast to his chef outfit.  Kyungsoo ,  Chanyeol’s best friend, really resembled an owl somehow. His eyes were awake and filled with curiousness. There was a certain authority in his aura and, judging from the way Yuta cowered next to him, he was scared of the small man.

“Chef Do, you’re finally blessing us with your appearance”,  Chanyeol called out, getting up from his seat in order to hug him brotherly.

Kyungsoo just rolled his eyes at him.

“Some people are busy commanding a restaurant rather than inhaling Soju, dear friend”, he commented, voice sharp but holding amusement. “How many bottles of Soju did  Chanyeol have already, Yuta-ssi?”

“Three, sensei”, Yuta answered quickly.

“Don’t give him more until he ate properly. We don’t want him go skinny-dipping again like last time”,  Kyungsoo ordered and Yuta nodded. 

“He did that??” Baekhyun heard himself asking in utter surprise before he could think of it properly.

Chanyeol threw him an alarming glance, but it was already too late.

“Tell us, tell us, Chef Do!” Jimin perked up, hungry for the story now - instead of the meat that got fed to him by Jackson.

Baekhyun still had not managed to understand that arrangement.

Kyungsoo’s eyes glinted with mischief and then he told them the story of  Chanyeol going skinny-dipping after drinking way too much Soju at New Year’s Eve.

Baekhyun almost did not believe him, not until Jackson brought out his phone with video proof on it.  Chanyeol was fast enough to snack away the phone though, before everything could become even more embarrassing for him.

_ “Too bad... I really wanted to see him making a fool out of himself” _ , Beom spoke up and Baekhyun somehow agreed with him.

“Please go back to your kitchen, Soo. You’ve done enough degrading talk for tonight”,  Chanyeol huffed, ears red.

Kyungsoo chuckled evilly, but seemed to have mercy on him after throwing a glance at both Baekhyun and Jimin.

“No worries, your date will find out just how much of a dork you are all by himself. I don’t need to help with that”, he winked and then trailed off to the kitchen.

Chanyeol’s ears reddened some more and he aimed for a piece of grilled meat, poking his chopsticks into it as if he wanted to kill it all over again.

Jimin cleared his throat then, curious eyes glancing at both  Jongdae and Baekhyun.

“ Chanyeol told me about your project with the fireflies. It caught my interest and I’ve been wondering if there’s a way for me to support it.”

Bohyun perked in at that. “What project?”

Jongdae shortly explained it, Baekhyun throwing in a comment every now and then as well.

By the end of it,  Bohyun informed them about his wish to invest in it, as well as suggesting that Sehun could advert it through one of his upcoming shows.

Jongdae was over the moon with joy and when Jimin and Jackson promised  their partake as well, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Brother, your friends are literally the best! You should take them as an example”,  Jongdae scolded him.

“Why? Is he not supporting the project?” Jimin asked with raised brows.

Chanyeol grumbled something, seemingly not fond of the direction of the conversation.

“Baekhyun talked him to it, actually. Before that, he didn’t even want to hear a word about it”,  Jongdae told him.

“Is that true? Man,  Chanyeol , you should always support family”, Jackson commented.

“I always have! I was always the first to do so with every project he came up with. In the end it was purely chaotic and  Jongdae was disappointed about the outcome. I just... I didn’t want him to get hurt again”,  Chanyeol defended himself.

Baekhyun had heard of  Chanyeol’s reasons before and again, he found nothing but honesty in Chanyeol’s words, his heart fluttering shortly.

“ Naww , Chan, you’ve turned out to be such a softie”, Sehun teased, raising his glass to that.

“Shut it, Hun. You’re no better ever since  Bohyun’s been around”,  Chanyeol threw back.

“True”, Sehun gave in and leaned back to place a sweet kiss against  Bohyun’s lips, hand flying up to caress his sharp cheek.

Yuta returned to their table at that, looking at the couple with wide eyes.

“Sensei won’t be happy to see his restaurant turning into a  Yaoi café... My my... Any wishes, kind sirs?” The waiter asked them, Jimin and Jackson ordering more Soju.

Baekhyun was surprised, realizing that the two of them seemed to be having the highest tolerance among the group if they were able to drink even more. He was still a little confused over how openly Jimin had been flirting with the Jackson throughout the evening. 

Everybody knew that Jimin had been going out with  Chanyeol for the past weeks - which was probably exactly why Jackson was trying to keep his reactions in check, always glancing at  Chanyeol before he replied to any of Jimin’s flirtatious remarks.

Apparently, Baekhyun had not been the only one who had caught up on this.

“What’s the deal with you two, by the way? Is  Chanyeol still as capable as in the past, or is he rusty?” Sehun asked with a smirk, glancing at Jimin.

For the first time during their dinner, Jimin was blushing madly and  Chanyeol did not look any better.

Everyone perked up at that, especially Jackson had a hard time concealing his curiousness.

“Well... to be honest and since this is obviously of great interest, dear  Chanyeol and I decided on just being friends. We both realized that we work out better like this, so there are no hard feelings at all.  Chanyeol is great, but more of a romantic guy actually and I... I enjoy having fun without diving too deep”, Jimin told them, his eyes shortly meeting Baekhyun’s, “We are non-compatible as a couple. Plus, m onogamy and I, we're not the  bestest of friends if we don't have to be… So... that’s about it. I hope that sated the curious among you. If you’d excuse me now, I  gotta pay a visit to the restroom”, he finished, shortly winking at Jackson before he stood up.

Everyone was silent for a moment, gazes landing on  Chanyeol , who took a sip of his drink.

Baekhyun was stunned, trying to process what Jimin had just told them.

Jackson, seemingly having been faster to process it, was leaning towards Chanyeol now.

“ So. .. you’re not calling dips on him any longer? You don’t want to continue courting him?” He asked, voice unbelieving but hopeful.

Chanyeol chuckled shortly, raising a brow at his friend.

“Without considering that I actually never truly courted him properly in the first place... No, I’m not calling dips. We’re just friends. You may go for him, bud”,  Chanyeol allowed him, smirking.

Jackson gasped shortly, pressing his hands against his own chest.

“Wha... me? I...” He stammered, acting innocent.

“Come on, you hypocrite. We’ve all seen how the two of you practically undressed each other with your eyes. His wink just now made it even more obvious”, Chanyeol replied, rolling his eyes.

Both Baekhyun’s and  Jongdae’s mouths dropped at that, utterly surprised by the turn of events.

“Damn... you’re right, so right. He’s gorgeous. His smile and those thighs... Thanks man. I owe you...” Jackson said and stood up rapidly, patting  Chanyeol’s back before he hurried to the restrooms.

Chanyeol chuckled and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Everyone was staring at him.

Chanyeol, having noticed it, looked up calmly.

“You... you planned this, didn’t you? You... you clearly wanted to set them up tonight”, Sehun pointed out.

“Maybe... But I guess you’ll never really know. Maybe I just wanted a nice dinner with some good company... Maybe...”, Chanyeol shrugged.

_ “He’s brilliant... wow” _ , Beom mumbled inside of Baekhyun’s head, startling the boy.

Baekhyun was not sure what he was supposed to think about it all. It was surreal somehow,  Chanyeol planning such kind of thing. He did not understand why...

“You could’ve warned us or waited with this until later. I need to pee and now I can’t go”, Sehun whined suddenly, throwing his napkin at Chanyeol.

“You were the one asking him about our non-existent sexual activities! This is your fault. I wanted to reveal this to Jackson by the end of dinner, not in-between",  Chanyeol argued.

“Why can’t you use the restroom now?” Baekhyun asked with small and innocent voice.

Sehun spared him with an almost annoyed look on his face.

“Because they’re probably making out in there, or even fucking... I wouldn’t put it past them, knowing Jackson’s neediness and what Jimin just told us”, he answered.

“Oh...” Baekhyun said, blushing.

Their waiter Yuta came up to their table, wanting to refill their glasses until Sehun interrupted him, voice full of sass.

“I need to use the staff’s restroom. Our friends are defiling the public one...” 

Yuta’s eyes widened for a moment before he placed a hand on his hips, smiling in amusement.

“ Yaoi -action in the restroom? Respect...” he hummed, before he turned towards Mark, who was serving the neighbour's table, “Eyo, Mark! Hand me the keys to our restroom, please.  Chanyeol-hyung's friends are fooling around in the public one.”

Chanyeol face-palmed at that, Mark turning bright red as he shuffled over with the keys.

“Yuta, you can’t just shout out something like this!” He told his colleague and then, turning to Chanyeol, “If the chef finds out about this, _you_ will have to do all the cleaning in the restroom after tonight, cause _we_ are not doing it under such circumstances!”

“Naww, sweetie... Don’t worry about it, I’d just do it for you instead. It’d be practice for the day when we’ll end up in there together”, Yuta said with a wink and caressed Mark’s chin, lifting up his head.

Mark, panicking greatly, turned even redder and threw the keys on the table before hurrying away.

“I’m surrounded by crazy people... OMG...” He called back and then he was out of sight again.

Yuta was grinning shamelessly, looking after him. 

“One day... one day...” He just hummed and then trailed off as well.

“Be right back”, Sehun chirped, keys in hand as he leapt up from his seat with utter gracefulness.

Bohyun smiled at him fondly, then he turned his attention to  Jongdae , asking him further questions about the firefly reserve.

Baekhyun and  Chanyeol sat there in silence, Baekhyun’s cheeks still feeling  embarrassingly warm.

“You done eating? You barely ate...”  Chanyeol commented after a while, looking at Baekhyun’s plate.

“I... I think I got a little distracted”, Baekhyun admitted sheepishly.

Chanyeol chuckled warmly and Baekhyun once again realized how great it sounded. Charming even...

“Understandable... My friends are really something, I know”,  Chanyeol admitted.

He picked up his chopsticks, taking some of the meat from the middle and dipped it into a sauce he had ordered earlier.

Then, to Baekhyun’s surprise, he held them up towards him.

“Here, try this. It should be to your liking”, he said.

Baekhyun was reluctant at first, but then he leaned forward, opening his mouth and closing his lips around the meat, a sweet-and-sour taste meeting his tongue.

Chanyeol watched him attentively, taking in how Baekhyun chewed happily, even wiggling around afterwards.

“Good?” He asked with a grin and Baekhyun nodded happily.

Chanyeol chuckled once again and continued feeding Baekhyun until the sauce was empty.

The boy could not even bring himself to worry much about the gesture, too happy with the pleasant taste in his mouth and  Chanyeol’s warm eyes on him.

\---

By the end of their dinner, half of the group was rather drunk than tipsy, without excuse.

Jimin and Jackson had returned after a little while, both their appearances slightly dishevelled and lips swollen. After  Jongdae had blatantly asked them about it, liberally drunk himself, they had assured them that dessert would be waiting for later and that they did  _ not  _ have sex yet – both underlining the yet with passionate gazing at each other.

Kyungsoo had visited them again, sometime after 11 p.m., informing them that everything but the drinks were on the house. They had all thanked him multiple times and Chanyeol, Jackson and  Bohyun had followed him in order to pay for the rest. 

After having said goodbye to Yuta and Mark, the group had lingered outside, waiting for departure.

Bohyun and Sehun had been the first ones to leave with their fancy car, Jackson hauling a cab for himself and Jimin right after. 

Baekhyun had been very surprised when he had found himself in an embrace with Jimin, the guy whispering something to him that he had not been able to let go on the whole ride home.

“He’s all yours now, sweetheart.”

The dinner had been great, but also full of new experiences and a lot of things to think about. He would probably need a good night of sleep in order to process it all, no matter how much he had also enjoyed it.

After arriving on the farm,  Chanyeol and Baekhyun helped the drunk  Jongdae into his room, tugging him into bed before finding themselves standing in the middle of the corridor, not knowing what to say.

_ “Ask him about Jimin. I know you want to”, _ Beom spurred him on after a moment, annoyed by the awkward silence.

“ Chanyeol , may I ask you something?” Baekhyun half-blurted out, startling the older.

“You may”,  Chanyeol said, leaning back against a high board to stabilize himself.

Baekhyun only then realized, that  Chanyeol had been drinking a good amount of Soju himself.

_ “Could be helpful, you know, drunk people are more honest” _ , Beom commented.

“I was... I was very surprised about how you set Jimin up with Jackson tonight... I thought, well, after  Younghyun told me and Dae about seeing the two of you in the club back then... I thought you really liked him”, Baekhyun spoke up carefully.

Chanyeol tilted his head, stroking some strains of hair behind his ears before he answered.

“You mean,  Younghyun saw us kissing?” He asked.

Baekhyun nodded sheepishly.

“He probably didn’t see that it ended even faster than it begun, I guess. I knew of Jimin’s... well, preferences even before he kissed me. I knew that he was someone to have fun with and that monogamy wasn’t really his thing. At first, I thought I could be up to it, just having fun, you know. No strings attached. But... it isn’t what I enjoy, it’s not... me. So, when he kissed me, I realized that it didn’t lead anywhere and told him”, Chanyeol explained, Baekhyun listening attentively.

“And... and he really wasn’t hurt or disappointed by it? I’m just asking because... I don’t think _ I  _ would be able to cope with the rejection...” Baekhyun said, voice dry.

“That’s because you’re not like him, Baekhyun. Not at all”,  Chanyeol replied warily and Baekhyun was not sure what he meant by that.

Was it a good thing? Was it bad? Was Jimin a better person than he was?

“Don’t worry about him. You met him, haven’t you? He’s very kind and strong, he was not bothered or hurt by my honesty, not at all. If it’s necessary, I can be very direct with what I want and what I feel. I told him and he was fine with it”,  Chanyeol added, a strange glint in his eyes.

“There’s more about it, isn’t there?” Baekhyun asked.

“Yes, there is”,  Chanyeol answered, the glint not vanishing in the slightest.

“But you’re not  gonna tell me about it, right?” Baekhyun realized.

“It’s... it’s better that way”,  Chanyeol said and broke eye-contact.

Baekhyun was about to say something, craving to understand what  Chanyeol meant by all this, but  Chanyeol pushed himself off the wall.

“Good night, Baekhyun. Rest well”, he said dismissively and vanished into his room before Baekhyun even had the chance to reply properly.


	11. Racecourse

Jongdae was hungover the next day. Baekhyun only had a mild headache, but he was as just as unmotivated as his friend. Which was why they decided to laze around a bit until they would go to the firefly reserve later on. They were supposed to meet up with  Wonpil and their investor and Jongdae was excited about it.

After the two of them had finished the most important tasks around the farm, they settled down in the living room. Jongdae had turned on the television and Baekhyun moisturized his dainty hands, only half paying attention to the flickering images on the screen.

They were not alone for long.  Chanyeol came rushing through around 2 o’clock, lots of paperwork in his hands. He threw all of it onto the desk of the study, which was attached to the living room, rummaging through several folders that were staffed there. He seemed agitated and stressed, Baekhyun watching him through the glass door.

A groan broke through and  Jongdae perked up frowning.

After a moment, Baekhyun could not take it any longer and leaned over to his friend, trying to keep his voice down.

“ What's all the paperwork about? Is he in trouble?” He asked him, brows furrowed in worry.

Jongdae on the other hand, had returned to his relaxed posture, sprawled out on the couch.

“Oh, no. These are just some jockeys’ universal applications.  Chanyeol is always stressed over these things. I never really figured out why, but I'm guessing it's because he doesn't really enjoy meeting new people and they probably remind him too much of his ex Luhan - the one who won a lot of races for us. The one who held  Chanyeol's heart until he was caught in a lip lock with Donghae. Pretty messed up it was… although we had such a great time before… ‘Got a picture of us three somewhere around here...” Jongdae said and stood up, walking over to a shelf.

He came back after a moment, holding a photo album in his hands. When he had found the right page, he gave it over to Baekhyun, who was looking at it with mixed feelings.

The picture was showing a younger Chanyeol, proudly throwing an arm around a pretty boy with deer-like features, dressed in riding clothes. The two of them were smiling at each other, the smaller holding a golden goblet inside of his hands. Jongdae was also on the picture, holding the reins of the horse that  Chanyeol’s boyfriend had ridden to victory. All in all, it was a lovely view and Baekhyun could imagine how happy these times had been, with all three of them sharing an interest in horses, enjoying their youth.

“That was him? I didn't realise that was the connection.” Baekhyun said, wondering why that innocent and happy boy on the picture had chosen to destroy it all by kissing someone other than  Chanyeol .

“Yeah… he was a sweetheart actually. I still don't understand why he cheated on Channie back then. Maybe because he was about to be leaving for college in China? Maybe he thought it was easier for  Chanyeol to let go this way… I don't know for sure. It's just my theory. He never explained. It's in the past now, but… you know how difficult my brother can be like. He still holds a grudge over poor  Donghae , even though, that one time, it wasn't really his fault.”  Jongdae replied, stroking over the picture before he closed the album again.

“ Chanyeol , he got hurt back then. I believe that some scars need a while until they are gone, others just never fade. No matter how difficult or stubborn  Chanyeol can be, I admire all his strength, all this power he comes up with… Not everyone could do what he does…” Baekhyun said then, hugging his knees to his chest.

Jongdae put the album onto the coffee table, eyes resting on Baekhyun’s face afterwards, trying to understand the deeper meaning behind his words.

“You mean, working here on the farm even though he could be someplace else, using his full potential in order to make lots of money and find a decent partner?”  Jongdae asked.

“Something like that, yes. It must be hard when all his friends followed their dreams, built up careers… He must be questioning his life choices quite often, doesn't he?” Baekhyun wanted to know.

Jongdae tilted his head, watchful eyes wandering off.

“I don't know for sure, but… even though he  often acts grumpy and introverted and all, I think he's happy. Like me, like mom, like Grannie. I think he's comfortable with the way it is - no matter how different his life could've worked out. I truly believe that, in his heart, my brother is not an unhappy person. I just think that he is… a little too lonely.”

_ “Lonely? Pff, I was actually surprised over how many friends that douche has...” _ Beom grumbled inside of Baekhyun’s head, one of his first comments of the day.

Baekhyun felt a jolt of anger at this. His brother was too cruel sometimes.

“Lonely?” He asked, wanting  Jongdae to explain it further.

“Yes. You know, our mom often teases him about settling down with someone and all. He always dismisses the topic, but I'm sure he secretly wants it. He wants to be with someone, share his life with, give his heart to…”  Jongdae answered, trailing off at the end.

Baekhyun’s heart beat faster.

“So, you're saying that  Chanyeol wants to fall in love? That he's a romantic guy, just like Jimin said yesterday?” He asked, a little breathless.

“Hmm, exactly like Jimin said. That whole set-up yesterday actually proved my assumptions. Also, I finally understood why he wanted me and especially you to tag along for dinner.”  Jongdae said, smirking at Baekhyun.

“What? Why? What do you mean?”

Jongdae’s smirk only worsened. He was about to reply when  Chanyeol rushed back into the living room again, several resumés in his hands.

Baekhyun flinched slightly as he addressed them with loud and insistent voice, pointing at them.

“You two chatterboxes... Get up and head for the car. We’re going to the racecourse.”

Jongdae’s eyes widened.

“What? Right now? I'm sorry Chan, but we can't. We'll be meeting with  Wonpil and our investor later. We can't head to the other end of the island now and make it back in time for our appointment. Why the sudden stress about it? The applications have been here for over a week and you didn't even spare a glance before.” He scolded him.

Chanyeol sighed in annoyance, crumpling the papers as he gesticulated.

“I need to meet up with some of them. Sehun called me earlier. He told me that  Wonshik is trying to corrupt the remaining jockeys after he chose the best one last week. He knows that I'll be sending a horse this summer and he wants to stomp me into the ground before I can even get on with it again. Sehun said, that Wonshik still believes I'll be sending Quicksilver in… He felt threatened in his position at the top. He's seen Quicksilver running, he knows how fast he is.”

Jongdae groaned and got up slowly, Baekhyun following him, even though he was confused.

“That's typical for  Wonshik \- no fair gameplay at all. Bet he doesn't only throw around money and lies, he probably fucks that  lil jockey as well”,  Jongdae said.

Chanyeol gave him an annoyed but confirming look.

“Oh dear, he  _ is _ sleeping with him. Of course. Gosh, I hope it's not one of those jockeys I coached last summer… I’ll castrate that tattooed upstart if he deflowered Jihoon or  Sungwoon ”,  Jongdae hissed out, clenching his fists.

“I don't care about who he sleeps with as long as it is not  _ my  _ future jockey. I  gotta find a decent one he can’t corrupt. I need help!”  Chanyeol exclaimed.

“Help? You mean with charming them? Winning them over for your training and your horse? A horse that won’t be Quicksilver, a horse that isn't even your best and not completely prepared for high-level-races yet?  Uff , Chan… that's not an easy task”,  Jongdae said and took the applications out of  Chanyeol’s hands before he could crumple them further.

“Which is why I need you to help me”,  Chanyeol murmured.

“Take Baekkie then. He can definitely help you. I'm sure he won't mind coming to the reserve another day. Right?” Jongdae suggested, turning to Baekhyun.

“ But... but I don’t know anything about horse races and jockeys. I don’t even know whether I can support the whole idea of that sport, with the bets and everything that comes with it”, Baekhyun told them.

Jongdae fished out two of the applications, handing them over to Chanyeol.

“Here, these are the candidates I’d suggest. They were both extremely capable and they have a good character.  Sungwoon was a little flirty, so I really hope he isn’t the one that  Wonshik hired and... corrupted”,  Jongdae made a gagging noise, “As for Jihoon here, he doesn’t care about money, glory or any of the other things that encircle  Wonshik . He can be a little brat sometimes, but apart from that, I think you’d train him well, Chan.”

He turned over to Baekhyun then, putting a hand onto his shoulder.

“Think of this as an opportunity on getting to know the sport better. You’re great with horses as well as people, Baek. I’m sure you’ll be of help for Chanyeol, no matter how much or little you know about the subject.”

Baekhyun was not completely convinced, but he nodded nonetheless, taking the two resumés out of Chanyeol’s big and dangerous hands.

The man stared at him in confusion.

“I better take these before they become unreadable. Go get the car keys, we  gotta go fishing”, Baekhyun spoke to  Chanyeol , smiling as confident as possible.

“Right. Right. Thank you. Let’s go. See you later, Dae. I’ll text you as soon as we were successful",  Chanyeol said and then hurried off, Baekhyun following.

“Please do so. And don’t forget to kick  Wonshik into his crown jewels in case he touched one of my former students”,  Jongdae called after them.

“No hurting  people . We need to stay professional, got it, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked the taller.

“Got it”,  Chanyeol assured him, getting into the car.

_ “I won’t make that promise... If  _ _ Jongdae _ _ wants us to kick some guy’s balls, I’ll gladly do so” _ , Beom snickered as they drove off.

Baekhyun groaned. They were doomed.

\---

In the car, the silence was loud and the music low.

Baekhyun was not overly happy with today’s outcome. Sure, he was more comfortable around Chanyeol, now that they cleared some things between each other, but there were still so many rough edges left. The fact that he was entering unknown territory in about an hour, as well as Beom’s threat, made him uneasy and he just hoped that everything would turn out well in the end.

“That  Wonshik -guy. What exactly is the deal with him?” Baekhyun asked, trying to find out more about what and who awaited them at the racecourse.

Chanyeol shrugged.

“He owns a company, some music label back in Seoul, actually. But he always comes here for the summer and someday he got into horse races. I don’t know how or why exactly, but well... he’s there and it bothers me a lot. You know, he’s got all that money he throws around, while there are other people who are dependent on these races. People who are dependent on some extra money so that they can make it for another year. He’s just there for  _ fun _ ! And to mess with me of course. And sleep with cute pretty jockeys”,  Chanyeol grumbled, not at all sympathetic towards the man.

Baekhyun bit his lip.

“That situation doesn’t sound fair. He seems to be a douche... but, are you sure that it’s just fun to him? I mean, there could be other reasons as to why he’s sending horses into races and all. Maybe you just don’t know the whole background. Sure, the way he’s behaving is probably very  douchey and all, but did you ever give him a chance to be seen as someone else than your rival? Were you without prejudices when you first met him? Him being rich, spoilt and overambitious...” He wanted to know, trying to make  Chanyeol consider some good in the man he was getting so worked up over.

He did not know why he was making that sort of effort. Maybe he really was overly righteous. Or maybe he just wanted  Chanyeol to be less tense and angry. Maybe he wanted to make  Chanyeol question  _ Baekhyun’s  _ background before drawing rash conclusions. Maybe he just wanted fairness.

Baekhyun noticed  Chanyeol glancing over, so he chose to meet the other’s eyes, gaze calm and with a hint of a smile on his lips.

Chanyeol sighed at that, redirecting his attention back to the road.

After a moment he spoke up again.

“I am a man full of prejudices. You’re right about this much. As for  Wonshik ... I don’t know him too well actually, never saw a need to, but... A friend of mine made the mistake of getting involved with him a couple of years ago and... Let’s just say, maybe  Wonshik had good reasons when he first started with the races, but over time he definitely turned them into bad and toxic ones. I’m sorry Baekhyun, but I don’t think I can let him off easy”, Chanyeol admitted.

Baekhyun nodded, rather to himself.

“That’s fine. I wasn’t trying to talk you into anything you’re uncomfortable with. I just... wanted you to have the possibility of seeing things a little differently. I thought it might help keeping a clear head and a light heart”, he said, voice neutral.

“Thank you... I guess. Your... your goodwill is truly admirable”,  Chanyeol complimented him and Baekhyun blushed faintly.

“I’m sorry for your friend. I hope he wasn’t hurt too badly”, Baekhyun said then, trying to get the attention off of himself.

“He recovered fine, no worries. He found someone worthwhile after he noticed that  Wonshik wasn’t good for the long run”,  Chanyeol said, sounding truly happy for his friend.

“Are you talking about Sehun and his fiancé?” Baekhyun wondered.

Chanyeol laughed at that.

“No, no. Sehun was never with  Wonshik . He’s... he’s more into older, more mature guys. Always has been actually. Before he met  Bohyun , he had quite the collection of... special hyungs.”

“I see”, Baekhyun just said with light voice, cheeks flushing a little at the thought of it.

_ “I get the idea. Who wants a boy if he can have a man instead? A handsome one with high-class suits on top of that. I think it’s a lot more attractive than Yoda-ears, dirty jeans and a lanky body” _ , Beom commented.

Baekhyun looked out of the window, rolling his eyes at his brother’s unnecessary and unwanted input. It was almost a little awkward, realizing what Beom’s taste in men was like and how much it sometimes differed from Baekhyun’s.

Another reason as to why Baekhyun knew that he would probably never get intimate with someone. It would just be strange, with Beom inside his head and knowing that he himself would always prefer a different type of guys.

Although, there had been one guy, Baekhyun was sure of it, that they had both felt attracted to. Not that his brother would ever truly admit it – it had been quite hard to get aware of his orientation and preferred type in the first place – but Baekhyun was convinced that Beom had liked their partner at the agency a lot. He knew that Minho had meant a lot to him, probably still did, no matter how Beom avoided the fact. Not to mention that Minho was a very handsome man and that he had worn chic suits on almost a daily basis...

Baekhyun rarely allowed himself to think of it all. It hurt, knowing that neither himself or Beom would ever be able to lead the love life they deserved or wanted. It did not matter that Beom had assured Baekhyun, that he would be fine if Baekhyun would ever get seriously involved with someone. It did not matter that Beom had promised to distract himself in case of intimate moments, Baekhyun knew he could never relax. He knew it would not be fair.

Silence had settled once again – apart from Baekhyun’s deep and loud thoughts.

They were driving over a bridge, the ocean to their left, when  Chanyeol cleared his throat.

“Baekhyun, may I ask you something?” He wanted to know, his voice sounding a little nervous even though he was probably trying to appear calm and nonchalant.

_ “Uh-oh, here it comes...” _ Beom chirped, much to Baekhyun’s irritation.

“Yes, I guess you may...” Baekhyun answered.

Chanyeol’s grip on the wheel tightened slightly, the knuckles on his right hand starting to turn white.

“When you go back to Seoul you… You said that there were dangerous people in your job and that you couldn't take it there any longer… I've been wondering if there is any good that will welcome you there?”

The question came unexpected and Baekhyun wondered over why it was of any interest to Chanyeol.

“ _ He doesn't mean something. He wants to know whether there is  _ someone _ …”  _ Beom explained.

“Why do you want to know?” Baekhyun asked instead, trying to avoid the original question for a little more.

He glanced over at  Chanyeol who was shrugging once again, although not convincingly.

“I am a little worried to be honest. I know I said I didn't want your problems to catch up with you while you're here, but… you actually shouldn't be forced to go somewhere where nothing good is waiting for you or… no one special who could support you."

The explanation could not ease Baekhyun, not in the slightest. Was  Chanyeol following some hidden agenda? Was he really worried about Baekhyun’s future well-being all of a sudden?

“Well, I actually have an amazing apartment to get back to. My employers were the ones who gave it to me though, so I hope I won't be homeless when I get back there. After all, I kind of went away without permission…” Baekhyun said, trying to make a joke out of it.

According to the look that  Chanyeol gave him, he was greatly failing though.  Chanyeol did not seem amused, rather unhappy.

Baekhyun sighed, glancing down at his hands, kneading his palms.

“Actually, there's still my… colleague. I'm not sure whether he's still my friend, I might have left without even saying goodbye to him or explain anything, so I guess I'll see…”

Baekhyun felt a lump in his chest after saying that. There was actually more to it than he was sharing with  Chanyeol , but it was definitely for the better that he kept the details in the dark. Plus, Beom probably did not appreciate the topic Minho – especially not while Baekhyun was talking to  Chanyeol of all people.

“Oh, okay... I don’t think you need to worry about it though. I'm sure you'll fix things with him”, Chanyeol said then, surprising Baekhyun with how encouraging he sounded.

“I hope so. I really do”, Baekhyun replied, “You remind me of him sometimes…”

“Yeah? Why so? Is he also handsome and full of charm?”  Chanyeol asked, voice dripping self-mockery.

“No, not that.” Baekhyun said with a chuckle. “It’s rather the fact that he also didn't like me in the beginning”, he added, smiling sheepishly.

Chanyeol relaxed behind the wheel, expression glowing with mischief.

“And who said that I like you now?” He asked.

They shortly glanced at each other, a visible glint in  Chanyeol’s eyes.

Baekhyun reached out, hitting  Chanyeol’s arm playfully.

“You’re a meanie. Go away!” He whined, pouting even.

Chanyeol laughed at that, the sound clear and honest. Baekhyun was delighted.

“We just arrived, but I won’t go anywhere away from you now. Sorry. We still need to secure us that jockey, remember?”  Chanyeol replied, sounding a little more serious again as he stopped the car.

“Of course. That’s why you should better behave around me, otherwise I’ll tell the remaining jockeys about what a big meanie you are and that they should go to  Wonshik because he will at least shower them with money and sex in return”, Baekhyun teased.

Chanyeol grumbled lowly.

“You would not dare!”

Baekhyun opened the door on the passenger’s side, gliding out of the car fancily.

He turned around then, facing  Chanyeol once more before he shut the door with a bang.

“See me try, Mr. Park”, Baekhyun chirped tauntingly, a cunning smile on his lips before he walked off towards the racecourse.

\---

The racecourse was an expensive and pretty place, situated at the northern foot of the Hallasan.

Baekhyun took in the atmosphere of his surroundings as soon as they had gotten through the entry and stepped onto the open ground. The stands were empty on this Tuesday afternoon, only a few people busying themselves around there. He tried to imagine what it would be like on a race day – excited visitors everywhere, cheering loudly and hoping that they would make lots of money through risky bets. 

Baekhyun had never been to a racecourse before. He had only ever seen it on TV, always fast to switch the channel. As he had mentioned before, he was not fond of the whole arrangement of such races, but he was here to help and he was open to that new experience.

“I  gotta head to administration shortly. Gotta renew my license. Will you be fine without me for a couple minutes?”  Chanyeol asked, shaking Baekhyun out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, go. I’ll be fine”, he answered lightly.

Chanyeol hurried away and Baekhyun walked closer to the turf, leaning against the balustrade.

His gaze was not fixed on anything in particular at first, not until he saw a couple of horses in the distance, jockeys on their backs. They were at the starting line, probably preparing for a test run. Baekhyun heard a bang and then they were running at high-speed, the jockeys driving them forward, their short bodies moving with the horses’ power and momentum.

It did not take long until they were galloping past him, some strains of his hair falling into his face due to the wind they were creating. Baekhyun watched them attentively, trying to make out which of them was at the head. He could not see it clearly, all four of them almost equally fast.

But after finishing half of the first round, it was a little easier to make out the fastest of them. It was a white horse, its mane of a dark grey. The jockey was dressed white and black, a light-blue helmet on his head. There was a mob of dark-blonde hair peeking out beneath the helmet, strong thighs pressed tightly against the horse’s sides. 

Baekhyun could hear a loud and deep cheer coming from behind him as the four riders made it over the finish line one after another, the fastest one having been victorious. The four riders remained behind the finish line, patting their horses’ necks and conversing shortly.

There was a satisfied cheer again, closer to Baekhyun’s ear now. He turned around, eyes falling onto a black-haired man, who was walking towards the balustrade and jumping over it in a fancy way. He waved over at the riders, the sleeves of his classy buttoned-down-shirt slipping down to his upper arms as he lifted them. Skin, decorated with ink, getting revealed in the process. 

Beakhyun immediately guessed who it was, his assumption getting confirmed when the winner led his horse towards the tattooed man. The jockey was smiling brightly, youth plastered over his pretty face, slight red adorning his round cheeks. The two of them were not far away from Baekhyun when they met, causing him to witness every word and reaction.

“My diamond, my light... Baby, you were amazing just now!” Wonshik, the tattooed man, complimented the boy, holding out his hands in order to help him off the stately horse.

The jockey blushed some more, still smiling brightly as he got helped down.

Baekyhun immediately noticed their incredible height-difference – now that the boy was no longer up on the horse but right in front of his suitor instead. 

Wonshik was handsome, his elegant but also rebellious and dashing appearance making him stand out as he towered over his “baby”. The boy was rather pretty, even cute as he beamed up at Wonshik.

“This was not just me... It was mostly Dorado’s doing. He’s so great! I’m so thankful that I get to ride him, Wonshik- hyung . I’m so grateful”, the jockey chirped.

Wonshik curled an arm around the boy’s waist, voice a little lower when he answered.

“Oh please, no need to thank me. You’re the one who will compete in all the important races and win for me. Plus, I should be the one thanking  _ you  _ for not only riding one of my best horses but also my di...” He started, but the boy interrupted him, eyes shortly flashing over at Baekhyun.

“Hyung! We’re... we’re not alone”, the jockey breathed out, eyes blown in  embarrassment .

Wonshik’s eyes followed his lover’s gaze, eyes scanning Baekhyun before he looked back at the other.

“Oh, please... It’s not like it is a secret to anyone around here that you’re mine,  Sungwoon -ah", Wonshik said with an amused chuckle, making a step towards Baekhyun then, “Even though I haven’t seen this little pup before. Are you here to apply as a jockey? You seem as though you know who I am...” Wonshik addressed Baekhyun with loud voice.

They were standing right in front of him now, only the balustrade  separating them.

Baekhyun felt caught immediately, uneasy and uncomfortable with the sudden situation he found himself in, Wonshik’s curious gaze resting on him.

He was about to answer when a deep voice came from behind him.

“He knows indeed, I’ve told him all about you...”

It was  Chanyeol , walking over with long and swift steps, probably having caught their conversation.

Wonshik stiffened barely visibly, a smirk covering his rather arrogant face now.

“Park  Chanyeol in the flesh. I was wondering when I’d be meeting you again. Almost thought you would pause another summer when I didn’t see your registration at the board. I see you found a new jockey – good for you”, Wonshik said, his voice a balance between polite friendliness and mockery.

The guy was great at it, Baekhyun noticed, but  Chanyeol seemed calm when he answered, not wavering due to the other’s  behavior .

“There was no need to worry about me, Wonshik. I missed you so much, I just had to come back so I could rub some dirt into your high-paid face”,  Chanyeol countered, catching Baekhyun completely off-guard with his answer, “And no, Baekhyun here is not my jockey. He came along in order to help me find one before you snack away each and every one of them with your false promises and your oh-so-amazing skills in bed.”

Baekhyun was completely speechless, his mouth almost dropping down to the ground as he processed what  Chanyeol had just said.

The jockey,  Sungwoon , seemed equally shocked as Baekhyun, wide eyes wandering from one of the tall  men to the other.

Wonshik barely flinched, a smile curling around his lips as he lifted a beringed finger at Chanyeol.

“The break did you well, Park. I’m impressed. You managed to solve your anger issues and got acquainted with the world of words instead of fists. I hope you’ll remain strong  though ... Gotta tell you that my champions have never been this good in the past. Dorado is the finest and most valuable horse on the entire island and  Sungwoon here is excellent, he even broke your ex’ record last week.”

_ “That guy is a weasel. I can feel myself losing patience and restraint...” _ Beom murmured dangerously inside of Baekhyun’s head, voicing out what he himself was feeling deep down.

Baekhyun could not find any sympathy towards Wonshik as well, but he begged to the heavens that his brother would remain calm and not do anything stupid.

Chanyeol flicked back his hair, crossing his muscular arms in front of his body.

“Don’t even consider me impressed or intimidated by that. We both know that Luhan wasn’t as great as he seemed. I also don’t care about your horse’s value. I might not be sending Quicksilver as my champion, but still, as soon as I have a jockey, my team is  gonna race you to ashes. It won’t matter how much money or whatever substances you’ll shove up this boys’ peachy ass, he will not make you a winner this summer. Heard me? He will not!”  Chanyeol hissed out, leaning dangerously close towards Wonshik now.

Baekhyun looked over at the jockey, seeing how the boy looked hurt by these words, any evidence of a smile getting wiped off his face.

Wonshik flicked his tongue, lifting a challenging brow at his opponent.

“You think I’ll let you insult my lover in front of me? Just because you found someone pretty to fuck, you’re in no place to say such things about my  Sungwoon . If you got a problem with me, Park, talk back at  _ me _ , but he didn’t do anything wrong”, Wonshik retorted, protecting the jockey beside him.

Baekhyun was slightly impressed by the man’s protectiveness, but he also felt awkward, hearing that Wonshik assumed that  Chanyeol was screwing him.

He tugged on  Chanyeol’s sleeve.

“ Chanyeol , you should apologize to  Sungwoon -ah", Baekhyun mumbled with low voice, still seeing the hurt in the jockey’s eyes.

Chanyeol threw him a confused look, anger burning beneath his skin.

But Baekhyun remained insistent, not breaking eye-contact until  Chanyeol turned to face Sungwoon.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you with my words. My brother actually trained you last summer and he said only good things about you. He also told me to kick this guy’s balls in case that he got... well, involved with you”,  Chanyeol said, glaring at Wonshik then.

Said man only rolled his eyes, scoffing and pulling  Sungwoon closer to his side.

“Oh?  Jongdae-hyung is your brother? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize, but... thanks. Please don’t kick Wonshik anywhere though. He’s always been nothing but good to me”,  Sungwoon said, making starry eyes at his suitor.

Wonshik looked down at him, smiling fondly as he stroked his cheek, kissing him long and possessively afterwards.

Baekhyun felt incredibly awkward now and he could feel  Chanyeol tensing beside him.

“Let’s go, Baek. We’ve got more important things to do...”  Chanyeol announced and carefully took Baekhyun’s arm to lead him away.

Baekhyun felt little sparks of warmth where  Chanyeol was touching him, his ears tingling comfortably after hearing the other  address him with his nickname.

They heard short ruffling behind them and then  Sungwoon was running after them, cheeks rosy and eyes sparkly.

“Please, don’t go... I uhm... I can help you find the perfect jockey. I don’t know if your brother told you about him,  Chanyeol-hyung , but there’s another jockey from summer class who’s still available”,  Sungwoon told him.

Wonshik trailed after them, brows furrowed as he was next to his lover again.

“Babe... what are you doing?” He asked, voice slightly annoyed and irritated.

“I’m helping them out. Without  Jongdae , I wouldn’t be as good as a jockey as I am now. I owe him my support, no matter if I’m racing for you now”,  Sungwoon said with low voice, his expression confident.

He put one of his small hands against Wonshik’s arm, pale skin covering inked one.

“Please try to be more of a gentleman towards others as well. I know you are one with me, I know you’ve got a kind heart”, the boy added, whispering.

Baekhyun was starting to feel out of place again, watching the little discussion between the lovers.

It seemed like  Sungwoon was able to convince him though, because Wonshik just sighed, putting on a calm expression. He leaned back, gesticulating towards the stables at the other end of the stands.

“Please lead them to your friend then, I won’t interfere”, Wonshik gave in and  Sungwoon smiled in relief.

The four of them walked over,  Sungwoon babbling about his fellow jockey friend – who was in fact the one that  Jongdae had also told them about.

They found Jihoon cleaning one of the horse boxes, the small, young man doing the deed with ease.

“ Jihoonie ,  Jihoonie ! Put away the dung fork and look up! I found an investor for you”,  Sungwoon called out, Jihoon flinching slightly.

He turned around with raised brows, the dung fork immediately dropping to the ground as his eyes settled on them.

“Park  Chanyeol !” He rasped out with surprise and in awe.

“Oh please, boy. Don’t be pathetic, he’s not that special”, Wonshik grumbled next to them, leaning against a pillar.

Luckily, the others seemed to have overheard it, because Jihoon was walking up to them now, taking  Chanyeol’s outstretched hand in his, bowing multiple times.

“Mr. Park, I didn’t expect you to return this summer I... I’d feel so honored if you were to consider me as your jockey... Your brother was our teacher last summer and even before that I’ve always been impressed by your family’s training methods”, Jihoon told him, voice nervous and fast.

Baekhyun felt bubbles of pride inside his stomach, hearing how someone appreciated the Park’s hard and good work like that. It was cute how the young jockey reacted about Chanyeol.

Wonshik’s obvious dislike of the situation, his jealousy, was not that great to watch though. He was still leaning against that wooden pillar, watching the scene with cold and attentive eyes, but he had scoffed loudly at Jihoon’s comment, causing everyone to feel a little uncomfortable.

_ “I’ll solve the problem” _ , Beom mumbled suddenly.

Before Baekhyun could even react, chaos unfolded inside the stables. Somehow, Beom had managed to free a couple of horses from their boxes, causing them to run or walk around where they should not and making people hurry after them. Baekhyun had to jump back as one of the horses ran towards them,  Chanyeol barely catching him from falling.

The taller had his arms secured around Baekhyun’s middle, pressing him against his body so he would not collide with the ground or anything else. Baekhyun was stunned, feeling like the air had turned too hot and thick around them.

Both of them were frozen in their awkward embrace, getting shaken out of it though as they heard a loud thud and then a long-stretched groan, coming from within the horse box they were standing at.

It was Wonshik, laying in the middle of hay and horse dung after having lost his balance, apparently due to the chaos just now. His expensive clothing was dirty and he looked everything but happy.

Chanyeol carefully let go of Baekhyun, the latter mumbling a tiny “thank you” before he took a step back, both of them looking over at Wonshik’s dismay.

“Hyung, oh no! What are you doing down there?!”  Sungwoon exclaimed, rushing to his lover’s side.

Wonshik sat up at that, dismissing the boy’s help though, his face red with anger and embarrassment.

“I fell. I’m fine. That stupid horse brushed me and I lost balance... Damn, look at my shirt... completely ruined”, Wonshik grumbled, slowly getting up.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun exchanged a knowing glance, both trying to suppress an amused chuckle.

Jihoon had fled to their side, trying to be as far away from Wonshik as possible. Baekhyun had a feeling that the boy was also enjoying the view somehow.

“Come on,  hyung . We’ll go to the restroom and get you cleaned up”,  Sungwoon spoke up considerately.

“Yeah... I was sick of seeing a lot of potential going to waste anyway”, Wonshik mumbled, eyes switching from Jihoon to Chanyeol.

“Just get out of here. You stink”,  Chanyeol hissed out.

Wonshik glared at him, about to talk back, but  Sungwoon hurried away with him before another argument between the men could unfold.

Not it was only the three of them, the chaos around them having died down almost completely.

“Jihoon- ssi , let’s go somewhere and talk business, shall we?”  Chanyeol said then, smiling politely.

“Y-Yes. Thank you, Mr. Park”, Jihoon agreed quickly.

“But first, please, call me  Chanyeol . I’m not that old yet”,  Chanyeol told him, causing both Baekhyun and Jihoon to giggle lowly.

\---

The conversation went well with Jihoon. Even though  Chanyeol came off a little pressuring and overly passionate at times, Baekhyun always made sure to add an encouraging comment in order to ease the young jockey.

Chanyeol was actually great at presenting his ideas and expectations for this season’s races, but there was also a lot of urge and restlessness behind his words, more than once causing Jihoon to gasp in surprise. If it were not for Baekhyun being there as well, chances would have been rather high that  Chanyeol would have scared the boy away with his ambition.

When Jihoon had asked about the chosen horse, Baekhyun had taken over, explaining as to why Quicksilver was no longer  Chanyeol’s champion – unlike what everyone in the racing community had expected. Jihoon had been a little disappointed at first, but in the end, he was more than delighted about the alternative and eager to meet the new champion.

They agreed on their training sessions and after settling the terms of payment as well, Jihoon had left them with bouncy steps, overly happy with his first real employment and investor.

“That went... better than expected”,  Chanyeol remarked, nodding multiple times as if to reassure himself.

“Yes, he’s really great. I think you will make a good team”, Baekhyun agreed, helping  Chanyeol put the documents into a folder.

Their hands shortly brushed as they busied themselves with the paperwork, both freezing awkwardly as they noticed the touch.

Chanyeol opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but the moment he did that, a strong breeze rushed at them, causing all the documents to scatter around them.

“Oh dammit!”  Chanyeol cursed, hurrying to collect them before the wind could take them away.

Baekhyun crouched down to grab some of the papers, heart beating too fast for his liking.

Was he happy about the interruption? Relieved? ...Disappointed?

“Now where did that come from? There was no wind all day! So strange...”  Chanyeol wondered out loud.

_ “Yeah, so strange indeed...” _ Beom chirped lowly.

Baekhyun was not even surprised, for it was not the first time that something like this happened.

He was still crouching down as he heard whistles from behind himself.

Both his and  Chanyeol’s heads turned around in an instant.

“What a nice view you got there, Park. Now I know why you prefer them a little juicier these days. Which dog wants bones if he can get meat instead, right?” Wonshik snickered, appearing from god knows where and behaving like the  embarrassing incident from earlier did not happen at all.

He was alone now, wearing a mix of riding clothes and some sort of uniform. The confident smirk from earlier was back on his arrogant face and Baekhyun felt discomfort rising up inside him.

He stood up, hands balling into fists and his cheeks reddening as he turned around, putting his behind out of both Wonshik’s and  Chanyeol’s view.

“I’m not a dog. You should not have come to get on my nerves again. We are about to leave anyways”,  Chanyeol said, jaw sharp and voice distant.

“I figured as much.  Sungwoon and Jihoon are cheering over the fact that you hired him. I used the moment and came to congratulate you, bid my farewell”, Wonshik said, cocking his head.

His voice was as sweet as sugar, but there was sourness behind his words.

It reminded Baekhyun a lot of his boss at the agency. He shivered at the thought of him.

Wonshik, apparently feeling Baekhyun’s uneasiness, set his eyes on him instead of Chanyeol.

“Your little pet looks scared. You should take better care of him, Park. We wouldn’t want him to run away and end up on the leash of the wrong person, would we? Baekhyun, was it?” Wonshik asked and made a step towards him, “I know you ain’t no jockey, but maybe you can be of other use to me...”

Baekhyun felt sick at that suggestion. There was no way in hell that he would fall for this. He did not know what to reply as he did not want to worsen the situation in any way.

Luckily,  Chanyeol stepped forward and  in-between the two of them.

“You should get lost. Now. I don’t want to find my way back to using fists instead of words. You know well enough that my right hand will always be better than yours, Wonshik”, he hissed out.

Baekhyun was stunned once again, a strange wave of protectiveness reaching him from  Chanyeol . If it were not for the unpleasant situation, Baekhyun would be outright smiling now.

There was a short staring contest between the two men, Baekhyun worrying that things would escalate.

But they did not.

Wonshik lifted his hands in surrender, still smirking though as he stepped back.

“Alright. This will continue on the racecourse, Park. We’ll clear things up this summer, once and for all. You better bring your best game before you won’t find any possibility again”, Wonshik told him.

Chanyeol did not reply anything.

“Don’t forget about my offer, Baekhyun.  Sungwoon liked you for some reason, maybe the two of you could become friends... I’d definitely not mind having a pretty thing like you around my little diamond. A happy jockey is a winning jockey. Goodbye, and take care”, Wonshik added, winking at Baekhyun before he trailed off.

_ “I’m  _ _ gonna _ _ kill that prick one day. I’m  _ _ gonna _ _ shred him into pieces and then I’ll feed them to his bloody horse” _ , Beom grumbled.

“I hate this guy. He’s unbelievable... I wish I would’ve listened to  Jongdae and kicked him in his balls...”  Chanyeol murmured.

Baekhyun sighed and reached out, softly touching  Chanyeol’s upper arm.

“The satisfaction of the act would not be for long. I don’t think he’s worth it”, Baekhyun said calmly, addressing both his brother and Chanyeol.

Chanyeol considered him with a short glance, something flashing through his eyes before he looked away again.

“You’re probably right... Come on, let’s go back home”, he announced and walked back to the car with Baekhyun on his step.

Home. The word sounded so good out of  Chanyeol’s mouth, Baekhyun could not keep himself from recalling it over and over again on their ride back to the Park’s farm.

Someday maybe, he would also be able to say this about a place and truly mean it...

\---

After an hour-long drive back to the Park’s farm, filled with mostly awkward silence, Baekhyun was more than happy to leave the car. 

Chanyeol had been frowning non-stop ever since they left the racecourse, even sighing or grumbling multiple times.

“So, is there anything else I can help you with?” Baekhyun asked with light voice, trying to break through the strange atmosphere.

Chanyeol, who was still lingering around the car, looked up fast, seeming as if Baekhyun had disturbed his thoughts.

“I uhm...”  Chanyeol started, fiddling with his jacket, “I’ll go look after my new champ now. You can... I don’t know, rest for a bit or go play with Rennie.”

The man was stumbling over his words, not meeting Baekhyun’s eyes as he finally moved away from the car.

“I can do so, but...  Chanyeol , are you alright?” Baekhyun asked with slight worry, taking a step towards him.

“What, me? Yeah, of course. I'm great, I'm… Thanks again, for tagging along. It was very helpful”,  Chanyeol said then, still on edge.

“No need to thank me, I’m glad I could be of help”, Baekhyun spoke softly, scrutinizing the other.

Chanyeol was crumpling his jacket, knuckles turning white as he stared to the ground.

“ Chanyeol , talk to me. What is wrong?” Baekhyun insisted, standing close to him now.

Another sigh from the taller.

“It's… It's dumb, really. I shouldn't…” He murmured, but Baekhyun would not let go.

“Chanyeol.”

“It's just… the way Wonshik spoke to you and how he was behaving around his jockey… I just don't like it when guys act like that. I could never…” He answered hesitantly, trailing off at the end.

“Flirt so openly? Hit on someone so directly? Behave overly confident and arrogant?” Baekhyun asked, trying to help him out, since he was clearly having trouble to voice his thoughts.

“Yeah… something like that”,  Chanyeol mumbled.

Baekhyun felt like there was more to it.

“You're a romanticist.” He stated simply.

The tips of  Chanyeol’s ears turned red, but his posture was still uneasy, distant almost. His jacket could not be saved by now.

“Hmm, probably… I don't know.”  Chanyeol shrugged.

Baekhyun smiled softly.

“It's nothing bad to admit. Not everyone can be like Jimin or your friend Jackson. Sometimes people crave for an emotional connection before they can go any further with someone. Nothing's wrong with either of it”, he said.

Chanyeol looked up at that, eyes meeting Baekhyun’s carefully, almost shyly.

“You’re a romanticist as well”, he said.

“Most likely...” Baekhyun replied.

Chanyeol’s expression changed suddenly, a hint of bitterness tainting his handsome features.

“Why did you go out with  Donghae then? I mean, he's just like Jackson... or Jimin for that matter. He practically screams sex without strings attached. You must have sensed that as well”, he said.

Baekhyun had not expected the other to turn the conversation in this direction, but it must have troubled  Chanyeol for quite some time if he decided to address it now. 

Baekhyun chose not to discuss the why that prompted  Chanyeol , chose not to beat around the bush when the answer to  Chanyeol’s question was so clear to him.

“I… I guess I only wanted to experience what it would be like… getting asked out by someone and saying yes. I… I actually never went on a date before. At least not as a grown-up. I was curious with  Donghae , a little rebellious maybe. But I never wanted what he wanted. Plus, it wasn't really a date. Yixing and  Jongdae were with us that night, you know this”, Baekhyun answered truthfully, not feeling as  embarrassed as expected.

He wanted  Chanyeol to know the truth – even though it was only one of the few truths he could share.

Chanyeol’s face was fathomless. Baekhyun had absolutely no idea what the other was thinking of him now.

“Right, I know that they were with you”, Chanyeol said calmly and silence settled between them.

It was not until  Chanyeol’s posture relaxed slightly and he finally stopped tormenting his jacket, that the atmosphere lightened – something like a buzz waking up around the two young men.

Chanyeol spoke up again.

“You... you never went on a real date before?”

Their eyes met and there was softness and curiousness in both their gazes. It was strange how vulnerability but also something warm and splendid were within their reach, but neither of them took a real hold on it.

“I don't count going to the movies or eating ice-cream together as dates. Some things don't really count if you were too young, I guess”, Baekhyun said with a shrug.

“I… I can't really believe that no one was interested in going out with you”,  Chanyeol said then, making Baekhyun’s heart flicker.

“I worked a lot and I didn't have any suitable acquaintances outside of work, so… I was never ideal dating material. To be honest, I'm not sure I ever will be”, Baekhyun answered and a lump settled inside of him.

There was more silence. 

Baekhyun was almost sure that their conversation was over, when  Chanyeol spoke up yet again.

“If I were to ask you out on a date... what would you answer?” He asked, voice low but warm.

When Baekhyun searched  Chanyeol’s eyes again, trying to see through them and find answers to all the questions that suddenly washed over him, he found absolutely nothing but a soft gentleness in them.

Chanyeol’s eyes held no false promises, no dirty thoughts, no mockery or anything even hardly negative. They were just a deep brown that Baekhyun got lost in, his heart and mind going to places where they had never been before.

It was not much, but in this moment, it was all that mattered.

“... Yes. I’d say yes.” Baekhyun answered with all the clarity he could come up with.

A little smile settled on  Chanyeol’s lips.

Then he walked away, backwards, eyes not leaving Baekhyun’s.

“I’ll remind you of that. One day I will”, he spoke and finally turned around and left the driveway.


	12. Mud and Scars

_ It was dark around him. The only sounds he could process were his labored breathing and the engine of the van they were in. It was the van that brought them to a very important mission. The mission that would be worth months of hard work at the agency. The first mission that depended wholly on Baekhyun’s and Beom’s special abilities. Failure was not acceptable. _

_ Minho’s deep voice reached his ears as the car stopped, speaking calm even though they were in a rush to get out. Minho never lost his cool during a mission. It had been one of the first things that Baekhyun had learnt about the older. His partner was a professional and Baekhyun was once again happy to be working with him. _

_ “Breathe, Byun. We got this. You’ve gotten trained to do this. Nothing will go wrong if you and your... brother stick to the plan. Now fix your vest please, we  _ _ gotta _ _ head out”, Minho spoke to Baekhyun, shortly patting his shoulder before he jumped out of the van’s back. _

_ The other field agents were already out, the laser pointers of their tranquilizer weapons creating five red dots on the ground outside of the laboratory. Minho was the only one who carried a gun with bullets. _

_ “Baek... Come on, don’t be nervous. I’m right here with you”, Beom said inside of his mind, a soothing coldness going through his heated body. _

_ “I’m fine. Let’s go”, Baekhyun announced, jumping out of the vehicle in order to join his team. _

_ Darkness took over again as soon as they entered the building, Baekhyun’s memory jumping to the later events. _

_ “Go to the right, Byun. Fast. Rush. You need to take down the surveillance cameras. Do it, now!” Minho called out to him, ducking away behind a desk. _

_ Baekhyun was crouched, not more than three meters away from his partner and special-agent-in-charge. _

_ “Beom, you heard him...” Baekhyun mumbled, a tingling vibration going through his body as Beom used his abilities in order to take down all the surveillance on the floor. _

_ “Got it. There are three guards at the end of the corridor. Shall I knock them out?” Beom asked, voice sounding excited – he was adrenalized. _

_ “Special Agent Choi, my brother neutralized the surveillance. There are three guards at the end of the corridor. What shall we do about them?” Baekhyun asked, addressing his partner in a low voice. _

_ Minho thought about it for a moment, he was about to answer when they heard loud thumps coming from the door at the end. _

_ “What’s happening?” One of the other agents asked, panic and confusion inside his voice. _

_ “Byun, what is going on out there?” Minho wanted to know, hurrying over to Baekhyun’s hiding spot. _

_ Baekhyun shortly closed his eyes, trying to connect with Beom instead of calling him out. _

_ “Took them down. Protocol is a waste of time. Something is off”, Beom explained nonchalantly and Baekhyun sighed out. _

_ “You’re unbelievable, brother”, he hissed out, Minho scrutinizing him. _

_ “Beom took care of them already”, Baekhyun mumbled sheepishly. _

_ Minho’s eyes widened. _

_ “That’s against protocol! Your brother, the presence... he... it... whatever – he can’t just continue doing what he wants. There’s a lot at stake tonight!” The man hissed out, glaring at Baekhyun as if it was all his fault. _

_ “I’m sorry he...  _ _ h _ _ e said something is off. I don’t know what he meant”, Baekhyun told him, hoping that it would milden his anger. _

_ Minho’s handsome face transformed from anger into worry. _

_ “This is taking too long... We can’t stay here and discuss this. Tell him to hack into the next computer. I want him to report back to me directly”, Minho ordered. _

_ “He can hear you already... I don’t need to tell him”, Baekhyun answered with a hint of annoyance, Beom cackling in his mind. _

_ “Right... right, let’s just do this then”, Minho concluded and moved over to the closest computer, so that Beom could type in what he knew. _

_ The scenery changed once more, skipping to the peak of their mission... _

_ “Byun! Byun! Head out there! Our cover is blown, the surveillance is back on!” Minho shouted at him through his in-ears and Baekhyun felt shivers of fear rushing through his petite body. _

_ “Beom... Beom... we need to leave! This is an ambush. There’s nothing we can do in order to save the mission now”, Baekhyun panted, running to the  _ _ next  _ _ door, only to find it locked. _

_ “What? Why is this closed? Beom!?” Baekhyun asked in panic, rattling at the door. _

_ “You can’t leave yet. We can’t. We’re so close to retrieving the files...” Beom answered, voice stern. _

_ “No, no! Minho said that we need to retreat. He said that our cover is blown. Beom, we need to get out!” Baekhyun tried to reason with him, but to no avail. _

_ Minho’s voice was heard again, but then the connection broke off. _

_ “What happened now?” Baekhyun asked in utter confusion. _

_ “I silenced him. He annoyed me. This mission is far from over. We’ll get the files and then I get us out of here. Tell Mr. Special-agent-in-charge that he shall wait beneath the third window of the second row in the backyard. We’ll meet him there in 20”, Beom announced, his voice leaving no space for arguing or questioning. _

_ Baekhyun lowered his mouth to the little body mic on his collar, passing on what Beom had told him to, hoping that his partner would trust them. He had no other choice actually. _

_ “Baek, I need you to run down to the second floor. There is a conference room with a hidden backdoor. We need to reach it and I’ll open the safe with the files. We gotta be fast. There are guards heading down there. You might have to help me taking them down”, Beom told him. _

_ Baekhyun did not hesitate and sprinted off towards the directions that Beom was giving him _ _ , even though  _ _ a part of him did not want to face the danger. _

_ He arrived at the second floor. Three guards were already on the ground, unconscious and bodies crumpled against each other. _

_ “Beom, I told you, no unnecessary violence”, Baekhyun hissed out, hoping that no one was seriously hurt. _

_ “They’ll stand up again. Now turn to your right, the room is behind the third door. I overwrote the security protocol, you should get in without a problem”, Beom replied, focusing on the mission’s task. _

_ Baekhyun did as told and hurried inside. He was about to walk to the back of the large conference room, when he noticed thin red laser beams coming through the windows. _

_ He ducked down as fast as possible, the first bullets already crashing through the windows. _

_ “Beom! There are people shooting at me! Do something!” Baekhyun called out, crouching under the conference table. _

_ “I can’t... they’re on the roof of the opposite building. It’s too far away. Minho and the others should be out there soon, they can take them down, they’ll distract them from you”, Beom answered. _

_ “But what if they get shot instead? We can’t let this happen!” Baekhyun croaked, flinching as another rain of bullets crashed through the windows. _

_ “Then hurry into the back room and get the file. The faster you get them, the faster we can get out and leave this godforsaken lab full of maniacs behind!” Beom shouted back at him. _

_ Baekhyun scanned the room, analyzing his opportunities of hurrying through without getting shot. _

_ He had to be fast. _

_ “Beom, turn on the light and try to trouble their vision, I will sprint through as soon as you give me the sign.” _

_ “On it, brother. Good idea. On my count...” Beom agreed, turning on all the lights of the room and intensifying the brightness, reflecting it back at the shooters. _

_ “... 3... 2... 1... run!” _

_ Baekhyun sprinted off as fast as possible. The shooting did not stop, but the bullets did not hit as close to him as before.  _

_ A chair fell over right in front of him and he jumped over it, almost stumbling as he landed. He used his momentum to crash through the hidden door. There were no windows here. He was safe, for now. _

_ “Well done, B. Now get the file. The guards from the top floor will be here in less than three minutes”, Beom informed him, the filing cabinet with the safe already opening. _

_ Baekhyun walked over, taking out the needed file as his gaze fell onto another one. _

_ “Beom, why is our mother’s name on this?” He asked, voice shivery. _

_ “That doesn’t matter now. We did not come here for this. You need to get out with the file that the director wants, not with that of our mother”, Beom answered, voice cold and impatient. _

_ “What is this all about, Beom? What do you know?” Baekhyun insisted, but Beom remained silent. _

_ Baekhyun heard the sound of shouting and footsteps, cold sweat running down his temples. _

_ “They’re coming. How do I get out? They’re too many, we’ll never take them down on our own!” He said, securing the designated file in the insides of his vest. _

_ “Minho’s in place. Run out and jump through the window”, Beom told him. _

_ Baekhyun hesitated for a second, not trusting what his brother was demanding. They were two floors high and the windows were dangerously broken. Jumping out was insane. _

_ He felt a push, coming from inside him and he stumbled forward. _

_ “Jump, Baek, now!” Beom shouted and the first guards entered the conference room as Baekhyun rushed towards the closest window. _

_ He rather fell than jumped, his hip grazing broken glass and pain accompanied his escape out. _

_ His body slowed and turned lighter on his way down, Beom using all of his power in order to ease the fall. Minho was right beneath him, staring up in shock as he shouted a warning. Bullets were hissing past and someone was screaming. _

_ Minho caught Baekhyun, his knees shortly buckling before he set him down again, a red stain on his hand. _

_ “Byun, you’re bleeding! We need to head to the van, can you run?” His partner asked, worry in his eyes. _

_ “I can. Let’s hurry”, Baekhyun croaked out. _

_ Minho nodded and then he gave the sign for retreat, the rest of the team sprinting off with them. Baekhyun was adrenalized, the pain numbing down as he felt his energy shrinking. He could hear and sense the bullets whirring around them, but they never hit. Beom was averting all of them and it pulled more at Baekhyun’s power. _

_ When they reached the van, his vision had blackened and Minho had to pull him inside and into safety. Baekhyun passed out with a whisper on his lips, blood dripping out from his wound... _

Strong hands were shaking his petite body, waking him from his bad “dream”.

It was Chanyeol, staring down at him in worry. His damp hair was disheveled and the ears were standing out from between thick strains of brown.

Normally, it was Beom who helped him through a nightmare or such, but Baekhyun did not hear any of his brother’s soothing or taunting comments right now. All that reached him, was the warm and deep timbre of Chanyeol’s voice as he was trying to get through to Baekhyun.

“Baek, Baek, come on. You’re awake. Try to calm down. Try to breathe in slowly”, Chanyeol ordered as soft as possible.

Baekhyun noticed that Chanyeol was a little overstrained with the situation, but he adjusted fast, because soon he was stroking Baekhyun’s cheeks, erasing the tears that had fallen.

“Chan-Chanyeol... what happened? Why did you come... into my room?” Baekhyun asked a little breathless.

It was strange to have Chanyeol so close while he was sitting on his bed.

“You, you were shouting things and you were crying... I... I had to make sure you were... fine. Which you’re clearly not...” Chanyeol explained, carefully moving back a little.

Baekhyun cleared his throat, pulling his blanket up in order to cover himself, feeling exposed under Chanyeol’s worried and alerted gaze.

“I... It’s alright. It was just a bad dream”, he mumbled, not meeting the other’s eyes.

“Just a bad dream? That’s not exactly what I got out of it...” Chanyeol retorted, not convinced.

“Wh-why? What did I say?” Baekhyun asked, trying to recall details of his dream – or rather his memories.

“Well... it sounded like you were in danger. As if people were after you, hunting you down”, Chanyeol answered.

“Is it not a common thing in nightmares? Running away from the bad guys?” Baekhyun asked, trying to put some humor into the situation, trying to take away the tension.

But, most importantly, he wanted to lead Chanyeol away from uncovering his secrets. It was top priority. He would be gone in less than two weeks. Dealing with his past and the agency could wait until after that.

Chanyeol furrowed his brows, tilting his head.

“Yes... it often is, but... I don’t know. Your voice sounded so frightened. It sounded so real...” 

Baekhyun’s heart was hammering hard in his chest. Chanyeol’s worry was still so evident and it confused Baekhyun immensely.

Only a few days ago, the older had practically ordered him to leave and take his problems far away from his home and family. And now he was crouching by his bed, worrying over Baekhyun’s nightmare and the reality that might have inspired it.

“Thank you for waking me, Chanyeol. I am fine now. It was just a dream. I’m sorry for having you... worried”, Baekhyun said then, his voice soft but with a hint of something dismissive.

Chanyeol scanned his face, searching for answers to milden his curiousness and confusion. But he found none.

Baekhyun had brought up a shield, pulling every bit of strength together that he could find in himself, even though he was in such a vulnerable state. He had mastered his poker face in the agency, but he was out of practice and Chanyeol made him feel somewhat transparent.

Chanyeol stood up with a sigh, stroking back his hair as he strode towards the door.

“I’ll let you get up in peace then... It’s still quite early actually, but I guess you can’t go back to sleep like this, so... I want to train our champ until breakfast’s ready. You can tag along if you want to. Our horses seem much more relaxed and obedient whenever you’re close by, after all”, he spoke, giving a little chuckle at the end.

“Thank you, I’d really like to join you”, Baekhyun said, smiling honestly.

The other nodded and gripped the knob of the door, starting to close it.

Baekhyun was about to sigh in relief, when Chanyeol moved back all of a sudden.

“I’m sorry, I need to ask... I know it’s none of my business but... Who is Beom?”

Baekhyun felt his heart sinking, his whole body tensing as he stared up at Chanyeol.

_ “Brother, stay calm. If you freak out now, he will never let go of it. Answer him. Lie, if necessary” _ , Beom spoke up.

Baekhyun remained silent for another moment, trying to ease his breathing.

“He’s... he’s my brother actually. Byun Baekbeom. He’s my twin. I haven’t seen him in years and... sometimes I miss him a lot. I guess that go t mixed up with my bad dream”, he answered as smoothly as possible.

Chanyeol raised his brows in surprise.

“Oh, I had no idea you had a brother... It always sounded as if you had no real family”, he said, voice sympathetic.

“Yeah... As I said, haven’t seen him in years. It’s all very very complicated. Trust me, I’d immediately switch brother with you if I could”, Baekhyun replied, smirking faintly.

_ “Ouch, that hurt. But, point taken, Jongdae is awesome, I’d also chose him over you, Baekkie” _ , Beom teased back.

Baekhyun chuckled lowly, looking down to avoid Chanyeol’s consistent stare.

“I see... Well, I won’t dig any further then. See you at the  western  paddock. Take your time”, Chanyeol said and gave him one more look before he closed the door behind himself.

“Phew... that was close”, Baekhyun breathed out as soon as he was gone.

_ “Yeah. You should really train yourself at being less vocal during sleep. It raises too much attention” _ , Beom half-scolded him.

“Well, if you would’ve waked me as usual, Chanyeol wouldn’t have needed to do it instead. What happened, Beom? You rarely let me experience bad dreams... I thought you wanted to help me”, Baekhyun mumbled, getting out of bed in a slow manner.

_ “I was distracted. Sorry” _ , Beom grumbled.  _ “Even though, now we know that he really cares about you. He was so worried... oh my, it was almost cute.” _

Back was the taunting and teasing.

Baekhyun turned red, hurrying to pull a thin sweater over his head so he would not have to see his blushy cheeks.

“What got you distracted?” He asked instead, trying to avoid talking about Chanyeol.

_ “This and that” _ , Beom answered naturally.

“You’re such a bad liar when you’re not making any effort. Come on, spill. Have you been spying on Jongdae watching porn again?” Baekhyun teased.

_ “No, he only watches that stuff at night” _ , Beom answered nonchalantly.

Baekhyun regretted bringing it up.

“Just tell me what you did”, Baekhyun demanded.

_ “Okay, okay... I hacked into Jongdae’s computer and searched for some dirty stuff on that Wonshik-guy. He really got on my nerves that day. I’ve been trying to find something ever since” _ , Beom revealed.

“Seriously? It’s been two days since we met him and he still bugs you? We might not even see him ever again, so what’s your problem?” Baekhyun asked in surprise.

He did not bother sounding annoyed or angry, knowing that it would not keep his brother from snooping around anyway.

_ “Chanyeol’s life would be easier without that snob around, wouldn’t it? He would have much better chances at the races without competing against Wonshik’s team. I was hoping I could find something that could disqualify him from the championship, but his scandals are all known to the public as it seems. Everyone is rather intrigued by Wonshik’s behavior. Don’t know what happened to society not choosing true gentlemen over assholes, but it seems that there is nothing I can do about him” _ , Beom grumbled.

“Why would you want to make Chanyeol’s life easier? I thought you didn’t like him”, Baekhyun wanted to know. “I know that Wonshik’s behavior wasn’t the most sympathetic, but... I don’t know, somehow I can’t forget how fond his jockey was of him.”

_ “You’re right. I don’t like Chanyeol. But you do, so I thought... why not do him a favor? In the end you might benefit from a more relaxed and less douchy Chanyeol” _ , Beom answered truthfully.  _ “And what? You got sympathy for that guy, only because his well-fucked-jockey makes starry eyes at him and can’t see what a predator he actually is? You’re just as naïve as that boy then. Gosh, Baekhyun...” _

“Okay, so first things first. Yes, I do like Chanyeol, but you don’t need to try yourself at matchmaking or anything. Me  with Chanyeol... I can’t  see this, not when I got all that baggage with me, not when things with the agency are still unsettled. Please, don’t make things awkward, don’t make me struggle more, Beom. I am thankful for your support, I really am. I’m just not... free enough... yet”, Baekhyun spoke with heavy voice, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

“As for the other thing... you know how I am, I can’t just go judging people without giving them a chance to prove themselves. Sungwoon seems like a clever guy, I doubt that he’s fatuous when it comes to Wonshik. Anyways, it’s not our business. We shouldn’t dwell on it”, Baekhyun added, fixing his bed-hair with a few tugs.

_ “Alright, I’ll let go of that Wonshik-thing – at least for now. But, and I’m being serious here, I won’t stop helping you out with Chanyeol. I don’t want to see you running away from your feelings. We’ve been through so much bad stuff, I know that it’s hard to put it behind yourself, impossible even. However, you shouldn’t let this define you, you should fight for whatever you want. And if that’s Chanyeol, then so be it. Baek, please take my advice to heart. We don’t need to discuss this any further right now, just promise me that you’ll keep my words in mind”, _ Beom said, voice warm but urgent.

23 years with his brother and Baekhyun could still get surprised, he was stunned.

“Beom I... I don’t know what to say”, Baekhyun replied, tears summoning in his sensitive eyes.

_ “Then don’t. I can read your mind if I want to know what you’re thinking. That should do it” _ , Beom said mischievously.

“Ugh... whatever...” Baekhyun just said and rolled his eyes, leaving his room while hearing his brother chuckling contentedly.

\---

Baekhyun and Chanyeol spent almost an hour with the new champ before they got called in for breakfast. It had been a comfortable training session and Chanyeol had let Baekhyun ride the horse most of the time. This way, all three of them had been able to learn something.

Both young men were joyful as they joined the rest of the family for breakfast, conversing freely. More than once did Jongdae and his mother exchange a knowing glance after noticing how Baekhyun and Chanyeol were so much more comfortable with each other.

It was not until they had finished breakfast, Mrs. Park excusing herself with the reason of not wanting to disturb the youth, that Baekyhun and Chanyeol fell into an awkward silence again. Jongdae sighed deeply as he sensed the struggle, shaking his head in frustration.

Baekhyun was busy with doing the dishes and Jongdae was cleaning the table, while Chanyeol had focused his attention on his phone instead, not really being helpful.

He even had the audacity to laugh shamelessly after reading something on the device.

“What are you laughing about?” Jongdae asked him, throwing the wet cloth in his direction.

Chanyeol looked up, smiling in amusement.

“I’m sorry... It's Jackson, he just texted me. Apparently, he and Jimin haven't left his bed for three days in a row…”

Both Baekhyun and Jongdae were looking back at him in surprise.

“Eww, gross. But hey, you really arranged a great match there”, Jongdae said then.

“Thanks”, Chanyeol replied simply and put his phone back into his pocket.

He joined Baekhyun’s side then, drying what he had cleaned.

“You got any other handsome single friends out there that could need some matchmaking?” Jongdae asked then, voice light and innocent.

Chanyeol furrowed his brows.

“Why? You got Yixing…” He argued.

Jongdae got serious at that.

“First thing, I don't  _ have  _ him. We're just friends with benefits nowadays. Secondly, I know a great candidate for any friend of yours who's worthy. One even better than dear Jiminnie or Jackson.”

“Now who would that be?” Chanyeol asked him skeptically.

“Baekhyun, of course”, Jongdae answered naturally.

The frying pan inside of Baekhyun’s hands, fell back into the water, splashing at both him and Chanyeol, as he turned around in shock.

“Uhm… Dae? Why do you want to set me up?” He asked with wide eyes.

There was a playful smirk on Jongdae’s lips.

“Because Donghae clearly didn't do it for you… you never met up with him again. Jeju is so much more beautiful when one is in love – or at least dating someone. You should really try it, I think it would be good for you, Baek.”

“You really shouldn’t annoy Baekhyun with such things. He did well, not contacting Donghae again”, Chanyeol spoke up calmly, even though his eyebrow was twitching.

Baekhyun was looking at the taller man. Chanyeol was behaving strange these days and he could not get used to it somehow.

“What now? You’re speaking for Baekhyun?” Jongdae asked, scoffing.

“He’s actually right... I’m sorry, Dae. I didn’t come here in order to fall for or date someone. I came here for a fresh start and... I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to like someone this way. Donghae was nice and I don’t think he’s a bad guy... He’s just not suitable for me”, Baekhyun told the other, turning to face him with a cautious expression.

Jongdae smiled softly, nodding in understanding. He was about to reply something when Chanyeol suddenly threw the dishcloth onto the counter, wordlessly leaving the kitchen afterwards.

Baekhyun and Jongdae stared after him, both immensely confused.

_ “He ran outside and kicked against some bucket... He seems... angry”, _ Beom informed Baekhyun, his invisible presence having followed Chanyeol as far as he could.

“I don’t understand... Did I say anything offendable?” Baekhyun asked.

Jongdae sighed deeply.

“No, you didn’t. It’s Chanyeol... he’s worse than weather... Don’t worry your pretty head over it. He’ll calm down eventually”, Jongdae tried to ease him, his phone ringing shortly.

He picked it up and read something, smiling brightly.

“Yixing’s coming over. He wants to check up on Rennie... and me”, he announced with a giggle.

“Oh, that’s very kind of him”, Baekhyun said with fond voice, but his thoughts were still with Chanyeol.

What did he say that made Chanyeol snap like that? Why did he run out without explaining anything?

Too many questions and so few answers. It was immensely frustrating.

\---

Baekhyun was absentminded during the whole time of Yixing’s visit. It had not helped that the young vet and Jongdae had been flirting almost shamelessly whenever they got the chance to, making Baekhyun feel out of place and a little awkward.

At least Rennie was said to be completely healthy again. 

“He can run around freely again now, but keep him away from the puddles around the lotus pond”, Yixing announced with a smile and packed up his medical utensils.

“I already built a fence to keep him away. Thank you, Yixing-hyung. I’m glad that Rennie is fine now”, Baekhyun said.

“I didn’t even do half of the work. You looked after him so well, Baekhyun. Jongdae always enthused about your good hand with animals. Did you ever think about working with them? You’re still young, how about studying veterinary medicine or something similar? I’ve got a few connections, I could pull some strings for you”, Yixing offered, sounding serious.

“Wahh, Baekkie would make such a pretty vet, a cute one on top of that”, Jongdae chirped excitedly.

Baekhyun blushed at that.

“I don’t know... I’m not sure if I’m smart enough”, he doubted.

“Nonsense. I think you’re even smarter than half of the alumni I went to class with”, Yixing argued.

“Baek, think of it – Xing studied abroad, but he knows all the professors from the university here, I bet he could get you in!” Jongdae suggested, filled with enthusiasm.

Baekhyun felt a little cornered, his bad conscience arising.

Jongdae did not know that Baekhyun would have to leave soon. Jongdae did not know that Baekhyun was not sure if he would really come back to Jeju afterwards, if he would be able to...

His friend continued babbling, grabbing after Yixing’s arm.

“...and you could teach him so many things, help him with the complex procedures and all the medical terms. I’d be the ever-supportive friend and buy the fancy study utensils, bake cookies, stay up late to test you before exams... Baek, Baek... Please think of it!”

Yixing chuckled softly, his attentive eyes nervously glancing at Baekhyun.

“Dae, cutie... slow down a bit, take a breather. Your friend looks a little swamped”, he spoke up carefully.

Jongdae took the hint, looking at Baekhyun in worry.

“Baek, I’m sorry... Are you alright? You look a little pale”, he commented.

_ “Brother... be careful. Think of what Chanyeol said. He didn’t want you to tell Jongdae about your early departure” _ , Beom reminded him.

“To hell with what Chanyeol said...” Baekhyun grumbled lowly.

“Baek?” Jongdae asked in confusion.

Said boy looked over at his friend, eyes filled with regret.

“Jongdae... I’m so sorry, but... I will be leaving Jeju again. I can’t stay”, Baekhyun told him, voice hollow.

He knew that it was harsh, confronting Jongdae like this. But Yixing was there as well, maybe he could help Jongdae getting over the disappointment... Baekhyun felt sick.

“What? I... I don’t understand...” Jongdae spoke breathlessly, every hint of happiness fading from his pretty face.

“I need to take care of the mess I left in Seoul, I need to sort things out I... I can’t run away from it any longer. I came here because I needed a break, I wanted to feel more like myself and... I didn’t think it through. I wasn’t prepared that I’d find this place and people as amazing as you”, Baekhyun told him, lip quivering already.

“But... but this won’t take you long, will it? And... and you’ll come back here right after, right? Baek...” Jongdae said with hopeful voice, making a step towards him.

Baekhyun broke eye-contact at that.

“I don’t know... I... there are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Dae. I feel so bad for hiding it all, but... it was better this way, please believe me. I don’t know if I be able to sort it the way I want and I’m also not sure if I should come back after. You and your family, your friends even... I can’t just impose myself on you, not with all my baggage and...” He started, but cut himself off before he would reveal anything he should not.

He had already said way more than intended.

Jongdae looked shocked and upset, he even stumbled back a bit. Yixing softly caught him, securing an arm around his back.

“...Impose yourself on us? On me? Baekhyun, why would you even think that? We gladly welcomed you, we care about you and... Oh my god, is this about Chanyeol? Did he tell you to leave? He did, am I right? That madman, he should finally get a grip on himself... I can’t believe it. I’ll punch him!” Jongdae hissed out, fuming.

Yixing’s hold on Jongdae tightened a little and Baekhyun stepped forward.

“No, no, this is not about Chanyeol. We talked about my departure, yes, but... me leaving, this isn’t his fault. He might’ve opened my eyes to the necessity, but...” Baekhyun started, but Jongdae jumped forward, Yixing’s grip not holding the curly-haired force back any longer .

“He did what? He opened  _ your  _ eyes? He should open  _ his  _ first! I will not lose another friend because of his incapability to face his feelings and claim what he wants instead of pushing it away!” Jongdae rasped out.

“Dae, please. This is not Chanyeol’s fault. He wasn’t the nicest towards me and he also confuses and frustrates me, but this is not on him.  _ I _ am the problem here. It’s me”, Baekhyun argued, a throaty sob escaping him.

Jongdae looked alarmed.

“Baekkie... oh no... my beautiful Baekkie... No, you’re perfect in every aspect. Don’t take the blame”, Jongdae calmed him, pulling him into an embrace.

“I’m so sorry for disappointing you. I really wish I could stay with you... I really do”, Baekhyun mumbled into the other’s shoulder, holding back his tears.

“I know, I believe you. I’m sorry for reacting like this, I should’ve been more understanding and less pressuring. I should’ve known that you have a life to get back to... I was selfish”, Jongdae mumbled back.

“No, you weren’t. It’s not a great life, believe me. I was so much happier with you guys... Dae, can you promise me that we’ll make these last two weeks worthwhile? Please. I don’t want to waste this time in pure regret and sorrow ”, Baekhyun begged him, leaning back a bit.

“Two weeks...” Jongdae croaked, but then he noticed Baekhyun’s expression, his face softening and eyes watering, “I’m sorry... Yes, I promise you. I’ll give you the best time you ever had. I won’t leave you any other chance but to come back here. Yixing, I will be needing your help. We need to make Baekkie’s remaining time here exceptional.”

Jongdae had squeezed Baekhyun’s hands, then turned around to face his ex, the man looking slightly dazed, having spaced out apparently.

“Xing?” Jongdae asked, waving his hand in front of the man’s face.

“Hm? I’m sorry, I just called it cat...” Yixing mumbled.

“What? What are you even talking about? Oh my, we really need to work on your focus...” Jongdae said and flicked his tongue.

Apparently, this was not the first time that the older had blanked out like this. It was almost a little funny.

Baekhyun started giggling uncontrollably and soon, all three of them were laughing uncontrollably as they walked back to the main house.

“Why are we laughing again?” Yixing asked, letting out his unique and infectious laugh.

“I don’t really know, but your laugh is literally the best!” Baekhyun answered, stroking tears of happiness from his cheeks.

More laughter followed and the three of them had trouble holding themselves upright.

Baekhyun could even hear Beom chuckling lowly, muttering something like  _ “you’re such idiots” _ along the lines.

Mrs. Park walked up to them in the midst of it, looking at them in both amusement and confusion.

“I would ask what you boys are laughing about, but we need your help down at the garage”, she announced with an apologetic smile.

“What happened?” Yixing asked, immediately walking over to Mrs. Park, rolling up his sleeves.

“Hard to tell.  Chanyeol washed the tractor for some reason, the ground got all muddy and now he can’t drive it back into the garage. Normally we could wait until it dries again, but the tractor is too close to the street and we’ll get a hay delivery later on... I’m afraid the truck won’t make it past if the tractor doesn’t move away soon”, Mrs. Park explained.

“Of course, we’ll help, Mom. Why would that dummy wash the tractor anyway? Baekkie did that a couple of days ago already”, Jongdae said,  frowning.

“I don’t know. He’s not in a place where reasoning makes any sense right now. You know how he can be like”, Mrs. Park said with a sigh, leading them the rest of the way.

Baekhyun had a weird feeling in his gut, remembering how  Chanyeol had stormed off earlier.

_ “It’s all your fault, brother. You’re messing with  _ _ grumpy’s _ _ sanity. He’s heads over heels for you, but he doesn’t want to accept it”, _ Beom snickered inside his mind.

Baekhyun wanted to hide away beneath his blanket.

They heard the roaring of an engine, followed by a loud curse as the engine died down again.

Chanyeol sat on the tractor, face covered in sweat, desperation and anger. It was not until he saw Baekhyun and the others, that his expression turned cold and he spoke up in annoyance.

“I don’t need your help. I got this.”

Yixing chuckled and shook his head. With fast steps and one smooth movement, he heaved himself up onto the tractor, sitting behind Chanyeol now. It was a funny view.  Chanyeol tensed immediately.

“Come on, big boy, don’t be a fool. Let me handle the steering. You go down and push with the others”, Yixing ordered him, Chanyeol getting down reluctantly.

“Mrs. Park, please stand by the side, we don’t want you to get hurt or muddy”, Yixing continued and everyone did as told.

Baekhyun and  Chanyeol took place behind the tractor, both putting their hands onto the back of the tractor, standing between the big wheels.  Jongdae stood at the front and gave signs to Yixing, guiding him. The Chinese man started the vehicle, carefully pushing the pedal as the wheels started moving.  Chanyeol and Baekhyun were pushing with all their strength, but the wheels went crazy and huge amounts of mud splashed onto them.

“Yixing, try again, it moved a bit!”  Jongdae called out from somewhere.

Baekhyun was whining lowly, his clothes drained with mud, arms hurting.  Chanyeol did not look any better, but his brows were furrowed in concentration rather than worry about all the dirt on himself.

Yixing started the tractor anew – this time with success. The tractor moved out of the mud puddle, not without splashing most of it onto  Chanyeol and Baekhyun though. 

Jongdae started cheering, but then his gaze fell onto his brother and friend.

“ Oh my goodness... Baek, I’m sorry”, he called out, taking in his mud-stained appearance.

“What about me?”  Chanyeol huffed.

“Pff... that’s not the first time this happened to you, stop whining. Plus, this is somehow your fault. There was absolutely no need to wash the tractor like some maniac. If you need to get rid of your aggressions whatsoever, chop some wood instead”,  Jongdae retorted, rolling his eyes at his brother.

Chanyeol frowned and did not speak up again, instead his mother did.

“You two should go and get a shower over at the barn, you can’t enter the house like this.  Jongdae , go get them fresh clothing and towels, please”, Mrs. Park went in between, untensing the situation.

“There’s a shower at the barn?” Baekhyun asked in confusion.

“Yes, but it only got a certain amount of warm water. I’m afraid the two of you need to shower together... I’m sorry this happened, Baekhyun. I’ll make some hot chocolate for the two of you in return, okay?” Mrs. Park offered.

“O-okay... thank you, Mrs. Park”, Baekhyun stammered, trying to process what she had said about him and  Chanyeol having to shower together.

A mischievous grin appeared on  Jongdae’s face.

“Come on, Xing. We’ll go get the stuff for them in the meantime”, he announced, the three of them heading to the main house while  Chanyeol and Baekhyun remained back in silence.

This was not a good outcome, not at all.

“Hm...”  Chanyeol murmured and then started walking, Baekhyun trailing after him.

When  Chanyeol was far enough from him, Baekhyun addressed his brother.

“Could you not have prevented that?” He snapped at  him, voice low.

_ “Why? You wanted to live like a normal human being, so you  _ _ gotta _ _ get dirty like a normal human being. Deal with it” _ , Beom replied, not at all sorry.

He was probably having the time of his life right now. Baekhyun did not like what was ahead of him.

As they arrived at the wooden shower cubicle, situated right at the barn, Baekhyun hesitated.

“You go inside first. I don’t mind the cold water”, Baekhyun told Chanyeol, the taller raising a brow at him.

“You don’t? Come on, don’t be ridiculous. I heard you squealing last time when you were in the shower and the heater  melfunctioned . We’ll shower together, period. Don’t make a big thing out of it”,  Chanyeol retorted, Baekhyun’s cheeks turning red beneath all of the mud.

Chanyeol went inside then and Baekhyun straightened his shoulders, slowly walking after him. 

Inside,  Chanyeol turned on the water, letting it stream down all over himself, mud getting washed off the clothing. He started stripping, tossing the wet clothing aside until only his underpants were left. Baekhyun stood as far as possible, only some of the water reaching him as he tried his best not to look at  Chanyeol and his rather naked body.

“There’s some shower gel over there, could you hand it to me please?”  Chanyeol asked with warm and confident voice, not at all seeming troubled by the situation.

Beakhyun turned and got the bottle, holding it out for  Chanyeol to take. Their hands touched shortly, Baekhyun tensing even more.  Chanyeol also paused for a moment, looking back at the smaller.

“Why are you shying away? You've seen me naked before, remember?”  Chanyeol said with a smirk.

Baekhyun was incredible nervous and tense. It was not at all helpful that  Chanyeol reminded him of that. Baekhyun was self-conscious, especially about his body. It was no wonder that a tall and well-built guy like  Chanyeol had no trouble showing off. For Baekhyun, a behavior like that was far away in the stars.

He was small and his skin was too sensitive and pale. He had some muscles beneath his rather skinny figure, due to the harsh training at the agency, but that was about it. His waist was abnormally slim for a guy and also his behind and thighs had turned rather juicy these last few weeks. Whenever stress hit, all of the extra grams would quickly vanish though.

“The warm water will soon run out... you’re not even close to being cleaned up. Shall I close my eyes to make you feel more comfortable?”  Chanyeol suggested then, having noticed the other’s internal conflict.

Baekhyun shook himself out of it, shaking his head.

“N-no, it’s fine...” He answered and carefully scooted closer, warm water running down on him now.

The two of them kept a polite distance between each other, but it got harder when Baekhyun started undressing as well.

Chanyeol looked down and to his side, trying to give Baekhyun some more privacy.

Baekhyun was shivering, even though the warm water was comfortable on his skin. Having  Chanyeol all wet and close to him, it made him anxious, but there was also a bubbly feeling inside of his stomach.

“Could you hand me the shower gel, please?” Baekhyun asked, voice merely a whisper.

Chanyeol heard him nonetheless, quickly handing him the bottle.

As they exchanged it,  Chanyeol’s gaze fell on Baekhyun’s lower body, eyes widening in shock as he noticed a huge scar, prominent along Baekhyun’s hip bone. The rest of it was hidden beneath Baekhyun’s underpants, but it was not hard to imagine how severe the wound must have been.

“Oh my god, Baekhyun... what happened there?”  Chanyeol gasped, not able to take his eyes off the  smaller’s scar.

Baekhyun immediately tensed some more, trying to turn away, but  Chanyeol did not let him. The taller held onto Baekhyun’s upper arms, gaze sincere.

“This... this is nothing. A little accident that happened a while ago. D-don't worry about it”, Baekhyun answered.

The scar had been the result of their mission at the lab, when Baekhyun had been forced to jump out a broken window – the exact mission he had been dreaming about this morning. Baekhyun had gotten hurt back then and Beom had been incredibly sorry about it, promising that he would try to heal it with their special abilities. But Baekhyun had not let him. He had been too angry with Beom back then. Angry because his brother had taken over the mission, because he had endangered all of them and because he had not been honest and open with Baekhyun, especially not when he had stumbled upon their mother’s file... They had cleared things up back then, but Baekhyun never agreed to having the scar removed. It was not pretty to look at, yes, but somehow, he needed it.

“This scar is freaking huge, it looks as if someone tried to slice you open”,  Chanyeol retorted, sounding a little breathless.

Baekhyun looked at where he was holding him, skin prickling beneath  Chanyeol’s huge hands, then his gaze wandered up to the other’s face.

Worry was prominent in  Chanyeol’s handsome features. Baekhyun wanted to ease him, explain that it did not hurt or bothered him any longer, but he found no words.

The warm water was still running down their bodies, tension evident between them as  Chanyeol spoke up again.

“Are there more than this one?”  Chanyeol wanted to know.

Baekhyun did not know as to why this was important to  Chanyeol , but he decided to show him nonetheless, a feeling inside of him telling him to.

He slowly turned around, presenting two other scars on his back and another one on his right shoulder. They were not as big as the one on his hip, but still evident. 

Those had resulted from the mission when Minho had gotten shot at. Baekhyun had been so worried about his partner, that he had not even noticed the pain back then, a nurse having had to confront him about it because his uniform had been soaked by his blood...

He had not wanted Beom to remove them either. They had reminded him of the day when he had been able to save someone dear to him.

“Baek... what did they do to you?”  Chanyeol asked, fingertips carefully stroking along the scars.

Baekhyun flinched at that, turning around to face the other.

“ Chanyeol , please... don’t pity me. It’s... it’s nothing to worry about”, Baekhyun tried to make him understand.

He took  Chanyeol’s hands in his, the latter blinking down at him, not moving away.

“I am still here on  Jeju . You’re here, too. This is a safe haven for the both of us, let’s not let any dark things overcloud it... please”, Baekhyun begged him.

Chanyeol opened his mouth to reply something, but closed it again.

Instead, he moved up his hand, stroking some wet strains of hair out of Baekhyun’s face. The gesture surprised Baekhyun as much as it eased him. It was not much, but it was so strangely intimate, that Baekhyun felt hot all over.

So hot, that he noticed too late that the water was turning cold. Both men jumped back and away from the cold water, distance reappearing between them.

Chanyeol turned off the shower  and Baekhyun fled out .

Jongdae had not arrived with their towels and fresh clothing yet and Baekhyun wondered what was taking him so long.

His mind started spinning around what had happened inside the shower.  Chanyeol had seen his scars and he had touched him... Faintly, but yet unmistakably.

Said man joined him outside, silence between them until Chanyeol groaned lowly.

“ Jongdae should better hurry... It might be warm today, but I don’t want to stand here all day”, he grumbled, rummaging through his wet hair.

Baekhyun nodded, even though  Chanyeol was looking elsewhere.

They both stood there in only their underpants and Baekhyun decided to put this moment into the top list of awkward situations. A lot of moments with  Chanyeol had made it there actually...

To both their luck, a grinning  Jongdae walked up to them five minutes later.

They did not talk much, only hurrying to get dressed again, while  Jongdae watched them in amusement.

Baekhyun felt like he had never craved a soothing hot chocolate as much before as right now.

_ “I think today turned out pretty well...  _ _ Chanyeol _ _ should sink tractors more often” _ , Beom commented with chirpy voice.

Baekhyun begged to the heavens that he would not.


End file.
